Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID & Cellular Industry Market Research

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Wireless & Cellular OVERVIEW

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 industria…

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 9.0 billion global wireless communications subscriptions by the end of 2024, according to Plunkett Research estimates. (Since some people have more than one subscription, the number of individual subscribers is significantly lower.)

The wireless industry will continue to enjoy high profitability and revenue growth. This sector is relatively immune to dips in the economy, as consumers consider their mobile communications to be as basic a need as clothing or transportation.

Plunkett Research estimated that there were 405.1 million mobile wireless connections in the U.S. by the end of Q4, 2023. Total U.S. wireless service company revenues were about $308.0 billion during 2022, according to Census.

By 2023, 90% of U.S. cellphone users were on smartphones, according to Pew Research Center, compared to only 61% in early 2013.

China is the world’s largest cellular market. China Mobile Ltd. is China’s largest carrier with 997.4 million subscriptions as of April 2024. China Unicom is fifth with 333 million. 4G connections were dominant in China by 2017, and 5G posted rapid growth beginning in 2020.

In India, the largest carrier is Bharti Airtel Limited, with 562.0 million subscribers. In second place is Reliance Jio, at 469.7 million, which was launched by the giant industrial conglomerate Reliance Industries India. Reliance’s Jio committed to a $25 billion, multiyear investment in 5G systems, starting in 2022.

Today’s smartphones and tablets are internet-capable, able to take full advantage of high-speed access on 4G networks (and, to a growing extent, newer 5G networks). This means that smartphones and tablets can do most of the work of a standard desktop PC. Consumers love the convenience, portability and capabilities of smartphones, and by some estimates spend an average of nearly five hours per day using them (in the U.S).

Smartphone Addiction

While smartphones and their myriad tools and methods to entertain can bring great benefits to users, many people worry about negative impacts of overuse. Many parents are especially concerned about the potential health and anti-social effects on their children. Unfortunately, intense usage of smartphones has become addictive for some consumers, and may lead to both mental and physical problems, such as “computer vision syndrome,” an intense sort of eye strain. Smartphone addiction has its own name: “nomophobia,” or fear of being without a smartphone. The Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous organization (internetaddictsanonymous.org) states that the dopamine release triggered by addiction-level internet and related technologies use can cause structural changes in the brain similar to those experienced by alcohol or drug addicts. It is believed that this can lead to a deterioration in decision-making, cognitive function and memory, among other significant problems.

Mobile banking is one of the most popular services for cellphone users in the emerging world, as wireless innovation is bringing banking services to remote areas for the first time ever, while sophisticated banking apps are extremely popular in developed nations such as the U.S. and Japan. FinTech companies have brought mobile financial services to a new level worldwide, with innovative ways to make digital payments, investments, banking transactions and funds transfers.

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 equipment prices are plummeting while adoption is growing on a global basis—this technology is vital for tracking physical inventories using digital methods. Practical uses for smartphones are growing endlessly. Applications for remote wireless sensors of all types (often referred to as the Internet of Things or IoT) 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 (including personal health monitoring).

The most important recent development in the mobile device sector is the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) features into advanced smartphones. Obvious AI-driven features include photo editing, better search engines and language translation. However, as tens of billions of dollars continue to pour into AI severs, tools and software each year, there is massive potential over the mid-term to provide an ever-growing array of very innovative AI tools to smartphone users.

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Top Companies Profiled

The following is a partial listing for this industry. As a subscriber, you will have access to the leading companies and top growth companies. This includes publicly-held, private, subsidiary and joint venture companies, on a global basis as well as in the U.S.

Hundreds of Top Companies Profiled, Including:

PLUNKETT PROVIDES UNIQUE ANALYSIS OF THE FOLLOWING TRENDS THAT ARE DRIVING THIS INDUSTRY:

Key Findings:
A complete market research report, including forecasts and market estimates, technologies analysis and developments at innovative firms within the Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID & Cellular Industry.Gain vital insights that can help shape strategy for business development, product development and investments.

Key Features:

Business trends analysis
In-depth industry overview
Technology trends analysis
Forecasts
Spending, investment, and consumption discussions
In-depth industry statistics and metrics
Industry employment numbers

Additional Key Features Include:

Industry Glossary

Industry Contacts list, including Professional Societies and Industry Associations

Profiles of industry-leading companies

U.S. and Global Firms
Publicly held, Private and Subsidiaries
Executive Contacts
Revenues
For Public Companies: Detailed Financial Summaries
Statistical Tables

Key Questions Answered Include:

How is the industry evolving?
How is the industry being shaped by new technologies?
How is demand growing in emerging markets and mature economies?
What is the size of the market now and in the future?
What are the financial results of the leading companies?
What are the names and titles of top executives?
What are the top companies and what are their revenues?

This feature-rich report covers competitive intelligence, market research and business analysis—everything you need to know about the Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID & Cellular Industry.

Plunkett Research Provides Unique Analysis of the Following Major Trends in the Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID & Cellular Industry

Major Trends Affecting the Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID & Cellular Industry
Introduction to the Wireless Industry
5G Wireless Networks Rollout Worldwide, Enabling the Internet of Things (IoT)/Massive Investments Required
Wi-Fi Enables Wireless Traffic Growth, Including the Internet of Things (IoT)
Wireless Service Subscriptions Worldwide Reach 9.1 Billion
RFID Drives Inventory Management Evolution
Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring Rely on Wireless
Wireless Information Systems Surge Ahead in Vehicles: Telematics, Intelligent Transportation (ITS) and Real Time Traffic Information
In Emerging Nations, mChek and M-PESA Enable Remote Banking via Smartphone
Digital Wallets Gain Payments Market Share
Location-Based Services (LBS) Enhance Smartphones and Mobile Advertising
Global Mobile In-App Revenues Hit $150 Billion Yearly
The Internet of Things (IoT) and M2M to Boom, Enhanced by Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Open New Avenues for Hacking
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Dramatically Changes Smartphone Use
Carriers Offer Unlimited Access Plans for Smartphones/Face Intense Subscription Price Competition
Voice, Face & Image Recognition Change the Wireless World, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools Added to Smartphones
Wearable Sensors Track Exercise Data/Apparel and Shoe Manufacturers Adopt Technologies
Smaller Satellites (SmallSats and CubeSats) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Revolutionize Telecommunications
LEO Satellites Enable Emergency Communications Via Smartphones
Smart Cities Utilize Sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Create Privacy and Security Issues
Overview of the Mobile Apps Industry
The Future of Smartphones, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Wireless Services Industry

Plunkett Research Provides In-Depth Tables for the Following Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID & Cellular Industry Statistics

Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID & Cellular Industry Statistics and Market Size Overview
Global Digital, Network, Computer and Telecom Industry--Key Statistics and Market Size Overview
Internet Access Technologies Compared
Wireless Standards & Speeds
Number of Business & Residential High Speed Internet Lines, U.S.; 2021-2025
Top Mobile Operators by Number of Subscribers, Worldwide
Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite): Estimated Sources of Revenue & Expenses, U.S.: 2019-2022
Satellite Telecommunications: Estimated Sources of Revenue & Expenses, U.S.: 2019-2022
Wireless Telecommunications Industry (except Satellite) Employment, U.S.: 2016-May 2025
Research Funding for Computer and Information Science Engineering, U.S. National Science Foundation:Fiscal Years 2024-2026

Organizations that have used our research and products

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Wireless, Wi-Fi, RFID & Cellular Industry Market Research

Wireless & Cellular OVERVIEW

WE PROFILE HUNDREDS OF TOP COMPANIES:

PLUNKETT PROVIDES IN-DEPTH STATISTICS TABLES COVERING THE FOLLOWING INDUSTRY TOPICS:

Top Companies Profiled

The following is a partial listing for this industry. As a subscriber, you will have access to the leading companies and top growth companies. This includes publicly-held, private, subsidiary and joint venture companies, on a global basis as well as in the U.S.

Hundreds of Top Companies Profiled, Including:

PLUNKETT PROVIDES UNIQUE ANALYSIS OF THE FOLLOWING TRENDS THAT ARE DRIVING THIS INDUSTRY:

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