COVID-19: GlobalData Position on Revising Telecoms and Pay-TV Forecasts, 18 March 2020

GlobalData is actively monitoring our telecoms and pay-TV forecast portfolio countries for possible impact from
COVID-19, and are ready to revise our projections as and when required. Our daily monitoring covers a large
variety of dimensions related to COVID-19, including:

 The potential impact on GDP and employment.

 The impact on telcos’ 5G rollout projects – a slowdown in rollout could result from travel restrictions on staff
responsible for network deployment as well as disruption to equipment shipments and manufacturing.
 The impact on telco retail operations – for example, a shortage of staff in shops or shops closing down may
have a negative impact on subscriber acquisition.
 The impact on telco call centre operations (on-shore and off-shore) - a shortage of staff in call centres or
temporary call centre closures could have a negative impact on customer retention activities, renewals and
customer support.
 The impact on telecoms revenue – for example, a telecoms ARPU uplift could potentially occur due to an
increase in service usage resulting from reduced physical mobility (e.g. a rise in mobile/fixed data usage,
mobile calls, video usage, and virtual meetings/conference calling).
 The impact on handset sales, driven by potential disruption in handset manufacturing supply chains

Our evidence-based approach to reviewing and revising our forecasts is supported by recent executive
statements from several telcos. Collectively, these statements highlight that it is currently too early to accurately
assess the impact COVID-19 will have on telecoms markets. As and when changes are required, these will be
made.