Wireless communications, including such fields
as mobile entertainment, RFID, mobile banking and cellphone service, continues
to be one of the hottest of the world's industrial sectors.
There were approximately 8.2 billion global
wireless communications subscriptions by mid- 2018, according to Plunkett
Research estimates, including more than 409 million in the U.S.
alone.
GSMA Intelligence estimates that the number
of global subscriptions will grow to 8.9 billion by 2020.
(Since some people have more than one
subscription, the number of individual subscribers is significantly lower.) The number of subscribers to fast internet
access via wireless devices is about 4 billion worldwide.
According to IDC, 1.46 billion new smartphones
were sold worldwide during 2017—making the smartphone the fastest-selling
single item of consumer electronics by far.
These handsets are purchased by new users (those who are getting
cellular service for the first time ever), but more often by those who are
upgrading to newer, more powerful phones.
At a very rapid pace, people around the world have upgraded to
smartphones.
For example, approximately
82% of U.S.
subscribers now carry smartphones, according to Plunkett Research
estimates.
Most new smartphones feature a dizzying array
of advanced features.
In addition,
smartphones and tablets are internet-capable, able to take full advantage of
high speed access on 3G and 4G networks.
This means that small, lightweight smartphones and tablets can do much
of the work of a standard
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Wireless communications, including such fields
as mobile entertainment, RFID, mobile banking and cellphone service, continues
to be one of the hottest of the world’s industrial sectors. There were approximately 8.2 billion global
wireless communications subscriptions by mid- 2018, according to Plunkett
Research estimates, including more than 409 million in the U.S. alone. GSMA Intelligence estimates that the number
of global subscriptions will grow to 8.9 billion by 2020. (Since some people have more than one
subscription, the number of individual subscribers is significantly lower.) The number of subscribers to fast internet
access via wireless devices is about 4 billion worldwide.
According to IDC, 1.46 billion new smartphones
were sold worldwide during 2017—making the smartphone the fastest-selling
single item of consumer electronics by far. These handsets are purchased by new users (those who are getting
cellular service for the first time ever), but more often by those who are
upgrading to newer, more powerful phones. At a very rapid pace, people around the world have upgraded to
smartphones. For example, approximately
82% of U.S. subscribers now carry smartphones, according to Plunkett Research
estimates.
Most new smartphones feature a dizzying array
of advanced features. In addition,
smartphones and tablets are internet-capable, able to take full advantage of
high speed access on 3G and 4G networks. This means that small, lightweight smartphones and tablets can do much
of the work of a standard desktop PC. Consumers love the flexibility and capability of smartphones, and by
some estimates spend an average of three hours per day using them in the
U.S. When considering this development,
it is important not to overlook the way that smartphones have disrupted
traditional business sectors. For
example, thanks to the powerful cameras built into smartphones, the number of
photos taken by consumers has soared at an astonishing rate, while sales of
traditional cameras have plummeted.
Total U.S. wireless service company revenues
were about $196 billion during 2017, according to Plunkett Research estimates. Market penetration of wireless service
subscriptions in the U.S. represented 120.6% of the population at year-end 2016
(up from only 116% the previous year and 79% at the end of 2006), according to
the CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association). American subscribers spend an average of $41.5
monthly on their cellphone bills. (In
1998, the average monthly bill was $98.02, but intense competition forced
prices to plummet.)
Consolidation of wireless service providers has
been strong worldwide. In July 2013, for
example, Japan’s Softbank merged with America’s Sprint Nextel, creating a
powerful new force in the American market, and giving this successful Japanese
firm a solid foothold in the U.S. In mid-2018,
Sprint and T-Mobile U.S., Inc. agreed to merge. The combined firm will be named T-Mobile, and will be co-owned by
SoftBank, Deutsche Telekom and public shareholders.
Of great importance is the interest in mergers
between wireless carriers and other types of communications firms. A $49 billion merger between AT&T (a
leader in both wired and wireless telephony) and DirecTV (a big name in
satellite TV services) was completed in July 2015. The strategy for such mergers is to add to
the customer base while creating the ability to offer bundled subscription
plans with multiple features and services.
Worldwide, cellphone use continues to
experience extremely rapid growth in emerging and developing markets. China has over 1.4 billion wireless
subscriptions, with India at about 1.2 billion. In developing nations, cellphone service is bargain priced. Handsets are particularly inexpensive in some
regions.
Globally, smartphone-based electronic games
(“gaming”) and mobile entertainment such as music and video continue to enjoy
soaring growth, along with the increasing use of social media on mobile
devices. Smartphones are rapidly
becoming everyday banking and payment devices, particularly in Japan, Korea and
parts of Europe; that trend will move to the U.S. over the mid-term. (In some cases, payments are made using a
technology known as near field communication (NFC) to enable smartphones as
payment devices when close by a cash register or vending machine.) Mobile banking is one of the most popular
services for cellphone owners in the emerging world, as wireless innovation is
bringing banking services to remote areas for the first time ever, while
banking apps are extremely popular in developed nations.
The wireless sector incorporates a great deal
more than cellphone services, ranging from satellite-based communications to
vast wireless Wi-Fi networks in corporate and public spaces. There is no end in sight to the rapid
acceleration of wireless. RFID (radio
frequency ID tags used to track inventory) equipment prices are plummeting
while adoption is growing on a global basis. Practical uses for smartphones are growing endlessly. Applications for remote wireless sensors of
all types (often referred to as the Internet of Things) are about to soar as
technologies improve and costs decline. The most important wireless industry sectors for future growth and
advancing technologies include self-driving vehicles, management of “Smart
Cities,” sports, entertainment, energy management and monitoring, advertising
and health care.
The
Future of the Wireless Industry
1) The
total wireless market and the number of uses for wireless connections will
continue to grow, even though market penetration of individual cellphone
subscribers has reached extremely high levels on a global basis. M2M, or machine-to-machine communications,
will be a major growth factor in the wireless industry. Wireless Sensor Networks (the Internet of
things) will proliferate, providing exciting new ways to gather environmental
and industrial data, and to foster home automation and monitoring along with
industrial uses.
2) Smartphones
will continue to morph into ever more complex, multi-purpose personal
communication devices thanks to the availability of apps of all types. Smartphone circuitry will become much more
powerful, piggybacking off the revolution in ultra-fast, multi-processor power
in handheld game machines.
3) 5G,
the next generation of high-speed wireless, will quickly move onto the market,
with global agreement to 5G standards and rapid introduction of advanced
equipment. Faster 5G speeds will lead to
the introduction of a new level of mobile services and entertainment.
4) Security
issues, such as eavesdropping on Bluetooth conversations, hacking into Wi-Fi
networks and viruses spread among smartphones, will require more and more attention
and investment from the technology and telecommunications sectors.
5) RFID
will continue rapid adoption by manufacturers, logistics centers, shippers and
retailers. Third-generation RFID will
eliminate most of the disappointments of earlier RFID implementations.
6) The
wireless industry is relatively immune to dips in the economy, as consumers
consider their mobile communications to be as basic a need as clothing or
transportation.
7) The
Personal Health Internet is becoming widespread, with consumers constantly
using health apps and small devices, monitoring their own vital signs and
uploading related data to online sites for analysis.
8) The
support that cloud computing provides to the wireless sector will continue to
grow in importance, while costs and capabilities become ever more efficient and
attract. Cloud computing makes it
possible for a vast variety of mobile apps to operate efficiently, while
enabling the storage and analysis of massive amounts of data that can be
accessed via mobile devices.
9) The
advent of self-driving cars and trucks will create intense levels of wireless
demand, for vehicle-to-vehicle communications, and vehicle-to-network
monitoring of traffic. These vehicles
will create massive amounts of data that will be managed wirelessly.
10) Growing
investment in research into “Smart Cities” will also build demand for wireless
connections over the long-term. Urban
planners envision vast, powerful networks of remote wireless sensors that will
enable cities to operate on a much more effective and energy-efficient basis,
in such areas as road traffic monitoring and management, street lighting, air
quality, public safety, emergency services and trash removal.
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