The Internet Value Chain
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GSMA_The-internet-Value-Chain_WEB
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THE INTERNET VALUE CHAIN<br />
Foreword<br />
<strong>The</strong> rapid growth of the internet economy is no surprise<br />
to those whose lives and professions depend upon it.<br />
Much of the research under this cover confirms what<br />
we know intuitively about this global phenomenon:<br />
that more people are coming online for the first time<br />
(633,000 people per day, on average, over the past<br />
five years), that more people are accessing the internet<br />
via smartphones and other mobile devices, and that<br />
the leading online service companies are already big<br />
and getting bigger. However, this work by A.T. Kearney<br />
goes well beyond the obvious, offering a wealth of<br />
insights about the commercial ecosystem that drives<br />
the internet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> GSMA commissioned this research to construct<br />
a high-level view of the internet economy—the players,<br />
economic analysis of different segments and the<br />
competitive landscape. We sought a factual<br />
assessment, based on available data, of all of the<br />
links in the internet value chain to better understand<br />
the trends and dynamics.<br />
We hope this study will be an interesting and useful<br />
input at a time when policymakers around the world<br />
are thinking about the digital ecosystem and its policy<br />
implications. Capturing a macro view of the entire<br />
internet value chain is no small feat, and we are<br />
grateful to A.T. Kearney for this thorough and highly<br />
readable report.<br />
John Giusti<br />
Chief Regulatory Officer<br />
GSMA<br />
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