Wireless Predictions for 2010
Certainly no calendar flip would be complete without a laundry list of predictions for the new year. FierceWireless has put together a compelling predictions for the wireless industry. To summarize:
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Net neutrality will pass, but with exceptions for wireless
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Palm will be purchased by another handset vendor
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Pricing, coverage issues will hinder cable companies’ wireless offerings
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Sprint Nextel’s 4G leadership will help revive the carrier
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Huawei will get one LTE deal in North America
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At least one wireless carrier will experiment with usage-based data pricing
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Motorola will show some signs of recovery thanks to Android (last year, FierceWireless predicted “Motorola’s handset division will cease to be“)
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Computer makers’ attempts at Android smartphones will flounder
Meanwhile, Juniper Research has drawn up a list of predictions for the coming year, all neatly wrapped up as the top ten predictions for the mobile and wireless industry for 2010. Summarized as follows:- Mobile Data Traffic Explosion to strain 3G Networks, spur data pricing overhaul
- Mobile Ecosystem starts to go green
- Mobile Heads for the Cloud
- New Category of Merging Smartphone Functionality and Netbooks to Emerge
- Apps Stores All Round
- Mobile Social Networking to Integrate with other Applications including M-Commerce
- NFC phones appear in the shops
- At least 10 LTE networks to be launched into service
- Smartphones to Get Augmented Reality Makeover
- Christmas Kindle sales expected to herald the rise of the connected embedded consumer devices
- HSPA+
- Apple iPhone
- Android
- Augmented reality
- Consumer femtocells
- Huawei
- “Comes with data”
- Connection-sharing
- Operator-on-operator applications
Zeros
- Mobile IMS and RCS
- LTE
- Virtual conferences
- NFC
- Enterprise femtocells
- Embedded 3G netbooks
- Smartphone profit margins
- Operator AppStores
- Aggregated social networks
- The terms “dumb pipe” and “over the top”
No surprises
- WiMAX
- Open network APIs
- WiFi
- Nokia
- BlackBerry
- Consolidation
- Mobile TV (“Was dead, is dead, will stay dead.”)
- Data roaming prices
And finally, WirelessWeek compiled its list by soliciting input from “industry leaders” on the following topics for 2010:
- Prepaid & data
- Net neutrality & mobile web
- Emphasis on competition, emerging devices
- Race to converged connectivity
- Wireless in the enterprise
- Content & apps purchasing on rise
- Video optimization as prevalent as web optimization
- Synthesis for M2M services
- Mobile money expansion
- Smartphones for more people
- M2M is major growth area
- Large brands recognize value of mobile applications
- Mobile backhaul providers embrace COE to meet needs
Lots of predictions in a volatile industry. I came away from the holidays with one prevailing observation – as we turn the decade clock to 2010, one thing is far different than ten years ago. My extended family had a lovely time together as always, but everyone sure spent a lot of time on their various mobile devices. At one point, I looked around the table at more than a dozen siblings, children, neices & nephews and saw why the room was so quiet – everyone had a mobile device in their hands.
My prediction: This mobile thing is going to be big.
