“Telecoms entrepreneurs will beat the downturn”

Governments around the world are investing in their telecoms infrastructure to kick-start their economies reveals Rob Conway, CEO of wireless industry association GSMA. "The communications sector is an engine for growth to shorten the downturn," he says.

Cesar Alierta, CEO of O2 parent Telefonica, concurs: "This sector is not part of the problem, it’s part of the solution."

This is great news for British communications entrepreneurs like Charles Dunstone.

In line with the predictions unveiled at Mobile World, his £4.5bn-turnover telecoms giant, Carphone Warehouse, has weathered the economic storm extremely well thus far. Dunstone says, “We have grown our retail market share.  Our broadband business continues to make good progress, with churn falling and ARPUs rising.  The ever-improving quality of the service, combined with its clear value proposition, positions the business well for the year ahead.”

However, capping the joy of telecoms entrepreneurs everywhere, the International Telecommunications Union has issued a word of warning.

In a recent report, the ITU says that in order to come safely through the recession, telecoms must invest in infrastructure and services, including next generation networks. This is the only way to “help reverse the economic slowdown".

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