The wireless industry is changing. It has been over the last 25 years and continues to reinvent itself. It is currently in the process of transforming and you may not recognize it over the next five years. What will it look like going forward?
First it is important to recognize that we precisely cannot tell the direction of the industry beyond the next some years. So much depends on new technology, government involvement, and where new examine takes us. Any way the convert over the next some years will be amazing.
So much of this convert will impact the workforce in wireless. It is important to know the direction the industry is heading in. To know where we were, where we are today, and where we are heading tomorrow to make sure you are in the growing part of the business.
Over the last few year's smart phones are rapidly taking over the handset market. Just a few short years ago smart phones were a smaller segment for company users led by clubs like Rim Blackberry and Palm. Then about 4 years ago Apple jumped in with the iPhone and suddenly smart phones are the fastest growing part of the industry with tens of millions of devices being sold to consumers as well.
Once the buyer marketplace got on board something else happened with smart phones. The App market exploded. There were just a few hundred Apps until the iPhone a few years ago. Now there is somewhere colse to 150,000 and still growing rapidly. The App sector is suddenly becoming very large and very strong. Today's apps are new and fun, but tomorrow's apps will do important things for us like originate our home alarm and convert television channels.
During the last few years many competitors like Nokia, Samsung, Lg, Motorola, Htc and others are jumping in with their devices and they keep getting good and better.
Even Google is getting into the wireless space working with many handset makers on the Android platform. They are even rolling out their own Google handset and may transform the industry the way Apple is doing.
Microsoft Windows mobile is also proving to be a flourishing player. Dell computer is also entering the wireless space.
Suddenly some of the biggest names in the wireless industry are not wireless companies. What will that mean for increase going forward?
Sales of regular handset sales have slowed while the last year or two thanks to the economy. Smart phones are exploding however. What does this mean for the industry?
In the beginning the smart phone sector grew from 5% - 15%, but suddenly it is growing to the 50% level and even greater. Some carriers like At&T that focused on the smart phone class over the last few years may be as high as 60% - 70%, Any way the carriers don't discuss numbers in detail.
At this point I would say the best guess is the marketplace will look like an 80-20 split over the next some years. 80% will be smart phones and 20% regular handsets. regular handsets will get smarter. They will do uncomplicated tasks like sending email and text messages and even crusade the web for basic functions. Any way there are still two specific groups.
Currently in the Us the smart phone marketplace is about 40 million and is imaginable to exceed 125 million over the next few years. Truthfully I expect it to surpass that as it approaches the 80% of the marketplace area.
As I said before we don't know what the industry will look like 10 years from now. This projection is over the next some years. Beyond that who knows.
Until now the competitors like At&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and others focused on some areas for growth. One of those areas is becoming less relevant. There are very few first time cell phone users anymore. There are roughly 300 million phones in the United States. Some of us have more than one, but still you can see how the marketplace is pretty full. There are very few first time customers left.
Now the clubs are contentious with each other for the existing customers. That is wholesome for the buyer because carriers focus on services and price and retention customers happy and delighted. In this marketplace wowing a customer is still magic.
The next big opportunity is the wireless web. That is exploding thanks to the smart phone market. As much as we love today's new smart phone apps, they are just the first course in a very long meal. In other words it only get's better.
Some new opportunities may not last as long as we think. An example is the Netbook computers. When they came out I didn't get it. They are still selling and I still don't get it, but I would predict they are a itsybitsy opportunity and may not even continue at some point.
Suddenly carriers are successfully selling wireless way points so your laptops can get Internet way without plugging the laptop in. Will these last or will they be short lived?
One of the precisely new and very fascinating areas of increase for the industry isn't even being talked about much. Wireless carriers are working with other clubs and industries to drag them kicking and screaming into the wireless century.
This is an grand opportunity for the whole industry. The networks have dedicated population in place to tap this new opportunity. This is a great opportunity going forward.
In the same pattern, wireless opportunities will strengthen in other industries. Other clubs will need wireless specialists to bring their own wireless future online.
This is part of today's wireless story. It continues to grow and convert very quickly. Yesterday's opportunities are slowing down, but tomorrow's opportunities are just catching steam. Being able to tell which of tomorrow's opportunities will be long term is the challenge. Making sure you continue to work in the segment that is growing is the challenge for all.
What Are Tomorrow's increase Opportunities in the Wireless Industry?