The Italian telecom market's growth was driven by the mobile sector's expansion, which reached $30.7bn in 2008. The main driver of the mobile market was the data subsegment, which saw high adoption rates of advanced data services such as mobile broadband and mobile TV. The fixed access market, which generated $18.9bn in 2008 (exclusive of IPTV service revenue), was driven by a noteworthy expansion of broadband Internet access and VoIP segments, which partially offset the decline of fixed circuit-switched voice service's revenue.
Going forward, the Italian telecom market will undergo significant structural changes as a result of the upcoming functional separation of Telecom Italia's fixed segment. The fixed market will witness a noteworthy expansion of DSL, fiber and WiMAX lines. The mobile market may see the entry of another MNO upon the sell-off the unused 3G mobile spectrum in May 2009. While broadband Internet-based services (Internet access, VoIP, IPTV) and mobile data services will continue to see high adoption rates, their estimated growth will be barely enough to counterbalance the projected decline in the traditional voice market over the forecast period.
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