Telecom Lead @ Mobile World Congress 2013: M2M, the Internet of Things (IoT), Bring Your Own Everything (BYOE), mobile life, app ecosystems, mobile money, phablets and LTE-advanced are the latest trends to be watched.
Andrew Brown, director for Enterprise Research at Strategy Analytics, commented: “M2M has been a buzzword for a few years, but this year it’s real. I expect to see cloud platforms, the ability to manage and analyze big data, partnerships in the area of vertical application development and reusability for different industries as well as partnerships that emphasize the ability to offer turnkey connectivity solutions.”
“BYOE will be a prevalent theme at MWC 2013 that extend not only to devices (BYOD) but also to mobile and web applications (BYOA) and cloud (BYOC) offerings. On display will be many business products and services that will feed organizations hungry for tools for enabling BYOE to comply with corporate and regulatory requirements,” said Mark Levitt, director Business Cloud Strategies.
Phil Kendall, director of Wireless Operator Strategies at Strategy Analytics, said: “LTE-Advanced will be a high-profile technology at the show, but for operators the more interesting story will be around solutions which unlock new revenue opportunities. We will see a focus on more open and flexible networks and platforms which will allow operators to engage with businesses to mobilize their B2C channels.”
READ Mobile World Congress 2013 HERE
David MacQueen, director of Wireless Media Strategies, said: “We hope to see some traction around Joyn [Rich Communication Service (RCS)] services during MWC, as operators need to coordinate launches to replicate the ubiquity of SMS or over the top messaging services will continue to erode messaging. Mobile money continues to be a hot industry topic, but combined with payments there is potentially an opportunity for the mobile industry to provide a much-needed boost to real-world bricks and mortar retailers.”
Neil Mawston, director of Wireless Device Strategies, said: “Every year the largest practical size of screen for a mobile phone increases. This year will be no exception. We expect a large chunk of flagship LTE smartphones announced at MWC 2013 to have screens of at least 5 inches. However, even standard LTE / 4G is fast becoming ‘old hat.’ LTE-Advanced (4.5G) is where the next boom lies and it will be here sooner than you think.”
