Connect-World Magazine - Connect-World Europe I (2014)

In this issue

Mobile is growing rapidly as a technology and as a service. According to the ITU, the world will soon have more active mobile lines than people. This widespread availability of inexpensive mobile devices, free applications for almost everything, immediate access to a great chunk of the world’s accumulated knowledge, entertainment, news and social networking is slowly reshaping the way we interact with the world.
Mobile is a game changer for businesses as well. BYOD (bring your own device), mobile security, mobile commerce, cloud-based mobile business applications and company data are among the many mobile related factors businesses will need to plan for. Within the next three years, up to one third of all business users are likely give up their fixed line phones and use only smartphones to connect. Companies will have to invest in apps that offer the features of the desktop phones that, connected to the company’s systems, will access a full range of business PBX functions.
The vigorous growth of mobile broadband usage will force mobile network providers to invest while the entire value creation chain will see intense competition that will put pressure on prices.
What does all this mean? How will we, businesses, equipment manufacturers, service providers, mobile network operators, content providers, software and app developers cope with the stress of this headlong expansion? What new services and equipment will arise? Who and what will be the winners and the losers?