Telecom reaches its inflection point in 2010

While 2009 was punctuated by new entrants, network outsourcing and the rapid rise of prepaid, 2010 will be all about data, over-the-top business models and applications. These are a few of the trends that strategy advisory firm inCode Telecom is forecasting for North America in 2010.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2010:

• Netbooks take off:

  Operators must spend on synchronizing netbooks with consumers' wireless devices or else outsource these capabilities to prevent backlash.

• FCC won't appease anyone with net neutrality:

  The debate has already had a chilling effect on spectrum auctions and rural broadband stimulus participation, but the FCC's eventual compromise will satisfy no one.

• Wireless operators tackle 4G battery drain:

  Innovations in battery life have lagged radio frequency technology advances, and this gap will only increase.

• Smartphones will no longer be a discernible category:

  Today's smartphone won't stand out from the status quo in 2010. They will be the status quo.

• Incremental revenue will come from QOS:

  Operators will be forced to charge for incremental features, as usage-based pricing becomes increasingly out of the question.

• Carriers get deeper into M2M:

  At least one operator will acquire a machine-to-machine player to ensure it has the support and management requirements to compete.

• Operators take a backseat to IT in the cloud:

  A battle between capabilities in the cloud versus the edge is beginning to brew. Next year, the two sides will collide, but no clear winners will emerge.

• Mobile operating systems will winnow away:

  OS platforms with extensive developer support, streamlined certification processes and integration of Web 2.0 features will be the ones that make it.

• MVNOs are reincarnated as M2M providers:

  M2M will give a new set of MVNOs a chance to try again with services that don't threaten a carrier's core business and allow it to enter a new market.

• Game consoles and Internet video:

  In 2010, the amount of Internet video viewed on the TV will double, with gaming consoles accounting for almost half of the usage.

Read more about another aspect of the “open” debate in telecom in “NSN: TV must be open to be cool” at our service delivery one-stop. ▸ TelephonyOnline.com/service_delivery