Legal Definitions - pop

In the telecommunications industry, "pop" (short for population) refers to a calculated metric that helps mobile phone service providers understand their potential market reach within a specific geographic area. It represents the estimated number of potential customers a company could serve, taking into account both the total population living in that area and the company's share of the cellular network infrastructure there.

Essentially, "pop" is a way for providers to quantify their addressable market by combining the raw number of people with their actual ability to deliver service to those people through their network.

• Example 1: Evaluating a New Market Entry

  Imagine a mobile service provider, "ConnectTel," is planning to expand into "Riverbend City," which has a population of 1.5 million people. After acquiring licenses and building new towers, ConnectTel estimates it will own approximately 35% of the cellular network infrastructure in Riverbend City.

  ConnectTel's "pop" for Riverbend City would be calculated as 1,500,000 (population) multiplied by 0.35 (network ownership percentage), resulting in a "pop" of 525,000. This figure helps ConnectTel understand its potential customer base and market opportunity in this new city, guiding their marketing and sales strategies.

• Example 2: Assessing Market Strength in an Existing Region

  "GlobalMobile" has been operating in "Highland County" for several years. Highland County has a total population of 250,000 residents. Through continuous investment and upgrades, GlobalMobile now controls 70% of the cellular network coverage across the county.

  GlobalMobile's "pop" in Highland County is 250,000 (population) multiplied by 0.70 (network ownership), which equals 175,000. This "pop" metric confirms GlobalMobile's strong potential reach within Highland County, indicating a significant portion of the population that they are technically capable of serving.

• Example 3: Strategic Investment Decision Between Two Areas

  "SpeedyWireless" is deciding where to invest its next major infrastructure budget. They are considering two options: "Downtown Metropolis," with a population of 4 million, where SpeedyWireless currently has only 15% network ownership; or "Suburban Valley," with a population of 800,000, where SpeedyWireless already has 60% network ownership.

  To make an informed decision, SpeedyWireless calculates the "pop" for each area:

  • For Downtown Metropolis: 4,000,000 (population) * 0.15 (network ownership) = 600,000 "pop".
  • For Suburban Valley: 800,000 (population) * 0.60 (network ownership) = 480,000 "pop".

  By comparing these "pop" figures, SpeedyWireless can see that despite Downtown Metropolis having a much larger overall population, their *current* potential reach (pop) is higher there than in Suburban Valley. This suggests that increasing their network ownership in Downtown Metropolis could unlock a significantly larger addressable market, even starting from a lower base.