Mobile Phones in Venezuela

PROSPECTS

Venezuelans’ desire to be informed results in demand for more mobile devices

Venezuelans continue to demand mobile devices with internet access to stay connected to the news and social media, which have been supplying the information denied to them due to the blackout promoted by the government. In addition, pharmacies, taxi services and cinemas in the country have begun to develop applications for iOS and Android devices.

Feature phone’s end of lifecycle is delayed due to robberies

Risk of theft is extremely high; Venezuelans may carry a feature phone in case of robbery whilst hiding their smartphone. Thieves know that people hide their smartphones and even frisk their victims to search for them.

Two separate price segments are defined in Venezuela

Two separate price segments can be observed in Venezuela: a high-end group largely dominated by Samsung with low participation from iPhone and a mid-range offer where dozens of brands compete and against the solid competition of government-related brands that enjoy a captive market of approximately three million public employees. Price differentials define these segments, where the average price of a mid-range smartphone is about 20% of the average price of a high-end smartphone.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Samsung Electronics de Venezuela maintains its leading position in 2018

Samsung Electronics de Venezuela held the lead in a quite saturated landscape within mobile phones in 2018 thanks to its brand recognition, strong media presence and high-status perception. Samsung competes at the high end side of sales.

International brands lead in mobile phones

International brands led mobile phones in 2018; however, carriers do not offer incentives to upgrade. Telefónica used to be the most important supplier of Samsung phones until the government monopolised the importation of mobile phones in 2013.

Despite the hostile business environment, phone operators continue to invest in infrastructure

Despite the instability in Venezuela, phone operators continue to invest in infrastructure due to the increasing number of mobile phones in the country. Mobile operators' network investments are needed because of the bandwidth congestion that causes interruptions to service and slow connections; however, operators face many obstacles as vandalised mobile phone masts cannot be repaired due to the lack of spare parts caused by import restrictions, whilst local governments cannot guarantee their security.

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