The best and worst of 2009

2009 WILL BE MOST REMEMBERED AS …

The year we all survived — well at least mostly.

Everyone opened an app store. Every handset-maker, carrier, operating system and third party wanted one.

The year everyone focused on broadband stimulus and nobody got any.

The year Nortel died.

Netbooks proved there is room in the MIDdle. Intel's invented mobile Internet devices might have flopped, but netbooks proved there are data devices consumers will pay extra for.

Everyone got wise to the smart grid opportunity.

The year the smartphone, the mobile app, the app store and mobile data services blew up overnight — on some networks in some cities, unfortunately, literally.

The year the real iPhone challengers emerged.

Prepaid's time to shine. The worse the economy got in 2009, the better prepaid providers fared. Competition got more intense, the prices got lower, and the handsets got more high-tech. Now the market is hoping its success won't continue to be inversely related to the economy — if it improves, that is.

The year the word 4G first appeared in a TV commercial.

Best Reader Response: Advancements in increasing bandwidth and reducing costs.

Honorable Mention: iPhone and Android taking over, and home telecom users going down.

THE MOST UNEXPECTED EVENTS OF 2009

Most Internet traffic bypasses Tier 1 networks.

Ciena beats Nokia Siemens in the auction for Nortel's assets.

Infinera introduces new gear without its flagship chips inside.

Convoluted and too loosely defined broadband stimulus rules actually depressing carrier spending — at least according to some vendors.

Comcast acquires NBCU.

The emerging momentum of net neutrality.

Best Reader Response: Retired telecom executive leading a bankrupt car company.

Honorable Mention: The tremendous and rapid success China Telecom has experienced with CDMA2000.

RUMORS WE'D LIKE TO SEE COME TRUE

Apple actually announces the Apple Tablet, instead of everyone else.

Google Phone — it might not make the most business sense, but it's creeping closer to reality.

Google buys Sprint.

Cisco and/or Google acquiring everybody — both are back on acquisition trail, they say.

The merger of prepaid providers Leap Wireless and MetroPCS.

A Verizon Wireless iPhone — so we can see if Verizon's network is as good as it claims it is.

Best Reader Response: XO buys Level 3.

Honorable Mention: No more heavy state and federal regulation and fees.

TOP TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

Cloud and virtualization coming to operator networks — stage 2.1 of the IP revolution.

Deep packet inspection and policy intelligence added to the network — stage 2.2 of the IP revolution.

Long-term evolution emerging rapidly, along with converged packet core — stage 2.3 of the IP revolution.

The totally flattened carrier IP wired/wireless networks — stage 3.0 of the IP revolution (stay tuned).

Location-enabling everything: apps, maps, photos, blogs, address books, advertisements …

No. 1, with a bang, the smartphone; no. 2, the movement toward open operating systems; no. 3, the huge onslaught of mobile data use.

Best Reader Response: IP core networks

Honorable Mention: twitter

MOST BIZARRE APPLICATIONS

Baby Shaker.

And by bizarre, we mean offensive, terrible, inexcusable, and how did this ever make it on through the iPhone App Store approval process?

The upskirt iPhone app?

That “virtual lighter” iPhone application — no wonder there's a million apps.

Best Reader Response: Some far-out medical applications for analyzing your toilet waste.

Honorable Mention: Why is anyone still talking about IMS?