Top wireless industry trends for 2008

“This year many keynote speakers at the Mobile World Congress [were] pointing to the need to green the industry and maximise on the opportunities of increased mobile broadband speeds. Both trends are good for business and the consumer,” observed Simpson.

Future speeds

Mobile broadband allows you to access the Internet from anywhere on your mobile phone, or on your laptop computer. Arun Sarun, CEO of Vodafone, stated that currently speeds of 7.2 MB/sec are possible on some Vodafone networks, and in the near future, speeds of 14.4 MB/sec can be expected.

In the longer term, according to Carl-Henric Svanberg, Ericsson's CEO, we can look forward to speeds of 200MB/sec with a technology standard called LTE (Long Term Evolution). First deployments of LTE are expected in 2009. This news is particularly refreshing for those who have not been particularly excited by the offerings made by fixed line networks.

“The increase speed of mobile broadband will have significant benefits for business and private users in countries, such as South Africa, where there has been a rapid uptake of mobile broadband. Not only will better access speeds stimulate further adoption of the mobile broadband but consumers will have faster access to online services via their cellphone,” said Simpson.

Going green

Many speakers have emphasised their company's commitment to environmental sustainability and outlined corporate social responsibility initiatives that address the recycling or re-issue of mobile products.

Wang Jianzhou, CEO of China Telecom, described the ‘Green Box Programme' which offers the network's clients a channel to return old or broken cellphones to distributors, ensuring that mobile e-waste is properly disposed of, and maximising the recycling of cellphone components.

Nokia's CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, introduced his company's latest cellphone offering, the Remade – a stylish mobile phone made completely from recycled materials. It has low energy consumption and is built with non-toxic electronics. The phone is to be launched in the market in the near future.

According to Simpson, although companies may make decisions based on what they feel is environmentally responsible, this is not the whole picture. “Consumers are also driving these decisions as companies cannot sell services that are not demanded. This means that there is a growing demand for green mobile products and services from informed consumers who take seriously a company's stand on environmental responsibly.”

• The Mobile World Congress is held annually and is a one stop shop for industry players looking to understand the key success drivers of the mobile industry for the year ahead. The congress was four days long, this year running 11 – 14 February, and had upwards of 55 000 visitors every day. There were eight exhibition halls each covering several thousand square metres, with 1200 exhibitors and over 250 speakers.