Global mobile cap ex to reach $150 bln by 2012

In 2006, GSM is the dominant cellular technology, but by 2012, WCDMA will receive the highest CAPEX investment by mobile operators, according to ABI Research. By 2012, worldwide mobile CAPEX will exceed $150 bln. In 2005, China Mobile’s CAPEX in China was $8.86 bln, more than Vodafone’s global total CAPEX ($8.74 bln), which is remarkable considering the high value of CAPEX spent per-subscriber and per service revenue dollar generated. In North America, Cingular’s CAPEX investment in 2005 was $7.475 bln, 116% more than in 2004. This was due to Cingular’s investments in building out its WCDMA network.