will continue to grow at nearly 1.2% annually until 2014, just 0.5% down on pre-crisis conditions.73 Global Insight suggests that mobile operators are increasingly focusing on raising ARPU and service revenues in existing markets, as the economic climate becomes more challenging.74 in Latin America would remain steady, but mobile Average Revenue Per User (ARPUs) could fall mar-ginally in 2009. However, Merrill Lynch does not see Latin American mobile operators cutting operational expenditures or capex due to funding needs.69 Indeed, distinctions between mature markets and high-growth emerging markets are now less relevant, as these markets converge in terms of connectivity speeds available, contractual base, customer churn and even margins. However, in the developed coun-tries Mobile broadband will remain a major development, with operators prioritizing mobile broadband as criti-cal to their future success. iDATE estimates that 3G compatible handsets accounted for some 20% of the handset market in 2008, while 3.5G accounted for under 5%. Depending on the market, iDATE esti-mates where the effects of the economic downturn were felt fi rst, usage may be suffering due to growing unemployment. Further price falls seem likely, driven by weakening consumer demand. Indeed, in Q1 2009, the UK mobile market saw its fi rst quarterly net loss of customers for three years,70 while Voda-fone that voice and text messaging services account for between 70-90% of operators’ incomes in mature markets, with “the main threat to their fi nancial well-being in the short term is seeing this revenue decline”.75 The GSM Association estimates that globally, HSPA connections will surpass 150 mil-lion Turkey also saw a reduction in its subscriber base.71 by August 2009, with more than 300 networks ABI Research suggests that by mid-2009, “the mobile services industry has up to this point been recession-proof across 127 countries and nearly 1500 HSPA-enabled devices available.76 ”. However, the longer that economic recovery is delayed and unemployment rates remain high, the more the mobile services market will be impacted.72 According to a study by ABI Research, even under the worst recovery scenarios, mobile services revenues Growth in mobile broadband is happening and here to stay, despite the fi nancial crisis. Mobile broadband Internet will be accompanied by an explosion in new services and applications, but there is divergence in 63