Operators starting to win battle against churn in Western Europe - Customer loyalty linked to stabilisation in pricing, innovative tariffs and smartphone popularity

Please sign in or register for a free public account to access this report.
Operators starting to win battle against churn in Western Europe is now available for download:
The long-running trend of increasing subscriber churn rates for mobile operators in Western Europe appears to be coming to an end. Overall churn for the region fell by more than 5% in 2010 having reached an all-time high in 2009, marking a small but significant shift in subscriber behaviour.
This stabilisation in operators’ churn rates is the result of a slowdown in the general trend of declining ARPUs in the region, as well as the increasing tendency for prepaid users to migrate to contract services. The latter trend is due in part to the popularity of smartphones, which has given operators the opportunity to lock-in customers to longer contracts on the back of large handset subsidies, but also due to operators actively addressing churn through the development of new tariffs that have made contract services more attractive to prepaid users. As average contract lengths increase in the region, operators are also concentrating their efforts on retaining customers when those contracts expire, through the introduction of loyalty programmes and other innovative strategies.
Related research
The Mobile Economy Latin America 2025
Operators across Latin America are making steady progress on their 5G journey, with adoption forecast to reach more than 50% by 2030. This latest edition of The Mobile Economy Latin America provides an update on key mobile market data and the impact of mobile on the economy across the region.
Mobile Data Deck, Q1 2025
The GSMA Intelligence Mobile Data Deck offers a fast track to all the essential data you need to know, with key mobile metrics in one easy-to-use deck of charts. The forecasts to 2030 include connections by region and technology generation, smartphone connections and adoption, and mobile operator revenue.
The Mobile Economy Eurasia 2025
Governments in Eurasia are increasingly using mobile connectivity as a platform to transform their countries into modern digital economies. This shift is driven by the recognition that robust digital infrastructure, particularly mobile networks, improves public services and unlocks economic growth. Across the region, mobile connectivity is enabling citizens to engage with e-government systems and access education, healthcare and emergency services, even from remote and mountainous regions.
Authors
How to access this report
Annual subscription: Subscribe to our research modules for comprehensive access to more than 200 reports per year.
Enquire about subscriptionContact our research team
Get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis.
Contact our research teamMedia
To cite our research, please see our citation policy in our Terms of Use, or contact our Media team for more information.
Learn moreRelated research
The Mobile Economy Latin America 2025
Operators across Latin America are making steady progress on their 5G journey, with adoption forecast to reach more than 50% by 2030. This latest edition of The Mobile Economy Latin America provides an update on key mobile market data and the impact of mobile on the economy across the region.
Mobile Data Deck, Q1 2025
The GSMA Intelligence Mobile Data Deck offers a fast track to all the essential data you need to know, with key mobile metrics in one easy-to-use deck of charts. The forecasts to 2030 include connections by region and technology generation, smartphone connections and adoption, and mobile operator revenue.
The Mobile Economy Eurasia 2025
Governments in Eurasia are increasingly using mobile connectivity as a platform to transform their countries into modern digital economies. This shift is driven by the recognition that robust digital infrastructure, particularly mobile networks, improves public services and unlocks economic growth. Across the region, mobile connectivity is enabling citizens to engage with e-government systems and access education, healthcare and emergency services, even from remote and mountainous regions.
- 200 reports a year
- 50 million data points
- Over 350 metrics