Reasons Why The Mobile/Wireless Usage Boom Is Underway
The Motorola Dyna-Tac, 1973. Specs: 9 x 5 x 1.75 inches, 2.5 pounds, 35 minutes of talk time.
While not fully consumed, a transformation that started more than 30 years ago is underway. It has been a slow and painful path while the market matures, but it is happening. This transformation is resulting on the initial phase of a true Mobile/Wireless Usage Boom.
But what is different today than let’s say, five years ago? Why is this boom happening now?
The answer lies on the true convergence or intersection of three factors, as illustrated next:
…where the following factors are finally converging:
- The Mobile Lifestyle: The mobile handset is the most personal gadget ever. If our handsets could talk, we would be in trouble. We carry it all the time; for communication, for entertainment, for business. For commerce. Thousands of text messages per month. Photos. Video. Music. Talk. Share. The threshold between personal and business mobile handsets is disappearing; even for handsets that are company-issued, people (not their manager) want to choose. The benefits are clear.
- Advanced Handsets: Mobile handsets are so powerful. More and more capabilities and usefulness. More and more functional and network convergence. Advanced hardware. Advanced software. But cheaper.
- The Networks: Faster networks. More networks. The networks carriers are opening up; they have no choice. Better interoperability between network carriers; roaming, billing. More affordable over time. Flat-rates.
The result of the above intersection, which is mainly driven by the mobile lifestyle, goes beyond usage boom, and is about critical mass. That is the true indicator of the market being ready.
Coincidentally, Ajit wrote a piece related to “critical mass”; see Personalization is not a substitute for critical mass - from Zagme to Blyk.
ceo
[Source of Dyna-Tac image: Motorola]
April 14th, 2008 at 10:34 am
[...] the US, C. Enrique Ortiz of About Mobility defines the drivers of the wireless/mobile usage boom. Ortiz draws out the factors that are converging to move mobile usage to a critical [...]
April 15th, 2008 at 2:49 am
[...] http://weblog.cenriqueortiz.com/mobility/2008/04/07/reasons-why-the-mobilewireless-usage-boom-is-und... [...]
April 15th, 2008 at 7:45 am
[...] At some point I will be writing more about these concepts but today I’ll say that Tomi is right on the spot, on the next steps forward in mobile. The concepts that he covers are not new, concepts that many of us have been preaching for a long time, but the difference today is that finally, all the right factors are converging — see Reasons Why The Mobile/Wireless Usage Boom Is Underway. [...]
April 17th, 2008 at 5:21 am
[...] Bonus: C. Enrique Ortiz opines on why the mobility boom is happening [...]