En branschanalys av den svenska mobilmarknaden -Strategi, konkurrenssituationen och 4G:s påverkan

Abstract

Background and problem The Swedish mobile market is highly competitive despite the oligopoly that currently exists. A short product life cycle together with fads and new innovations puts pressure on the operators to respond to the ever changing environment and to develop and adapt their strategies after it. As a previous study regarding a specific operator’s strategy was cancelled due to the extensive confidentiality surrounding it, an interest was sparked to perform an industry analysis as this is clearly something the actors spend a great deal of time on developing. The launch of the 4G network will offer new opportunities for the operators regarding products services. It may also impact the competition on the overall market. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to present a deep analysis of the industry and give the reader a comprehensive picture of existing conditions. This will lead to an understanding of how the operators have developed their strategies in order to gain a competitive advantage and also utilize the new technology, 4G, which is soon to come. Methodology A qualitative approach has been used where interviews have been conducted with people with thorough knowledge of the industry. The general approach for the thesis was to produce various theoretical tools, later used to analyze the empirical investigation in order to reach the conclusion. These tools were connected to the research questions and presented together and later linked together in a summarizing analysis and conclusion. Results and conclusion What is quite clear is that the market has seen a convergence of strategies in recent years. What were previous clear distinctions in strategies between the operators are now harder to distinguish and the trend is to move from a clear focus to a more extensive strategy where every aspect of the industry is regarded. These are both price and quality as well as innovation and product development. However, the positioning of the operators are still quite clear were Telia is the premium supplier and Tele2 the low cost alternative, Telenor and Tre are more stuck in the middle but try to position themselves as the “flexibility choice” and a “young and innovative alternative”. The greatest impact of 4G will be on the mobile broadband which now will be able to compete with the fixed broadband services. However this technology is probably premature in its launch and will struggle to be profitable in the near future.