According to a recent study by the GSM Association (GSMA) who represent the interests of worldwide carriers, annual revenue increases of 5 % and more belong to the past. Research in their report "The Mobile Economy" indicates that growth will be more in the order of 2 % as we reach the end of this decade.
wi360.com, a portal that tracks mobile and wireless events across the globe, notes that carriers are countering this slow down with a range of measures. In particular any or multiple of the following trends have been observed in different countries and regions:
- the merging of regional operators, in order to minimize the costs of operating networks, and to strengthen their negotiation clout when purchasing new infrastructure components from suppliers
- acquiring telcos and service providers with complementary offerings in fixed-line, cellular, cable and satellite fields, allowing consumers to sign up for telephony, internet and TV services from a single supplier
- abandoning cell phone subsidies as a means to secure contracts
- moving away from flat-rate data tariffs to usage plans and finally to service-based contracts
- pushing into new terrain such as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Internet-of-Things( IoT), automotive connectivity, mobile payments, Over-The-Top (OTT) services, location-based advertising through joint alliances or company acquisitions
Conferences, exhibitions and workshops provide a clear snapshot of what the wireless future holds in store. A two-year window on events as track led by wi360 uncovers some key topics. (see figure).
An up-to-date Event Calendar at www.wi360.com sorted by key technology themes shows which wireless conferences and exhibitions are happening around the world.