Telecom service revenue is set to decline 4.9 percent to $238.8 billion by Q2 2018, according to a research report by IE Market Research Corporation (IEMR).

Global mobile connections will surpass 8 billion subscribers – at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.82 percent over the forecast period – in Q2 2018.

The report said that there has been a significant slowdown in mobile subscriber connections and service revenue for carriers across the world.

Asia Pacific will continue to lead global growth in terms of subscribers (+2.83 percent CAGR). Telecom service revenue in Asia Pacific over the next two 2 years will remain flat.

The below chart from ITU indicates the 2G and 3G Internet users.

Data revenue will reach $115.4 billion in the next two years, while Data ARPU will remain stable at approximately $4.70 in Q2 2018. Data revenue will now surpass voice revenue.

“We are forecasting flat EBITDA growth over the next two years. Globally, we expect EBITDA to increase by 0.9 percent in the next year to Q2 2017,” said Nizar Assanie, VP (Research) at IEMR.

There will be a decline in carrier voice revenue and voice ARPU. Voice revenue will decline to $90 billion in Q2 2018. Voice ARPU will be declining to $9.48 per subscriber per month, on average.