MWC: Android. Android. Android.

With the third day of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona reaching a close - there is really only one word that can easily sum up the conference so far ... you guessed it - awesome! (I bet you were thinking "Android", but we'll get to that too). It is at these events that some of the biggest companies in the Mobile industry come out of their shell, reveal some of what they are up to and fist-fight for attention (comparing ... well, you know what).

• The Microsoft-Nokia deal - or the death of Symbian. Mobile OS battles wage on, with these two GIANTS teaming-up to steal some market share from Android (and Apple). The big question is - will Windows Phone 7 remain a closed system or shift towards open-source. Other players in the industry are already wondering and voicing their concerns.
  
• Android. It's everywhere! Not just in the new (mini-)tablet Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0, but in almost every booth and every Tablet or Smartphone showcased. Those folks at Google have been busy working behind the scenes - gaining market share as fast as "humanly" possible (reaching 25.5 percent very recently). It would be interesting to see how soon Apple begin to feel (more) significant pressure. They're losing market share already, but in small percentages. It is events like the Mobile World Congress that set the trends though, so ought to be worried.
  
  By the way - if Nokia would have gone with Android (Google hasn't tried to hide the fact that they were aiming for that) - Android OS would have become the de-facto Mobile OS of the future, today.

Mobile Predictions: 2011

No, I'm not going to make any mobile predictions myself this year. Perhaps only say I hope the Mobile World will start living to its true potential in 2011. Meaning we will probably see an increase in mobile streaming (that's easy), with a transparent decrease in video quality/bandwidth as people get more educated as to what affect the quality of video streaming. Social gaming will presumably completely take over your (kid's) desktop computer, TV screen and smartphones. NFC will show some initial implementation and together with that - data-plans will become more affordable, as other provides adopt a "app-store" approach, where content IS king. Well, seems like I did make a few predictions after all.

Check out SMB for some more 2011 mobile predictions.

NetroMedia at the Mobile World Congress 2011

Just found out the streaming service provider I use for my personal business will be attending the Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona in February. The great news is that it almost perfectly aligns with my vacation plans, so I can swing-by on my way back and hopefully spend a day or two in a wonderful exhibition - especially if it exceeds last year's event! (GKYRK48E5JSR)

Ericsson predicts Mobile broadband users will reach 1 billion before 2012.

Ericsson - Swedish mobile giant, released a press release stating that "Mobile broadband subscriptions will hit the one billion mark in 2011" (or - before the end of 2011). The growth patterns leave the global distribution of mobile users as is: Most are and will be concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, with North America and Europe following behind. It is makes perfect sense, and should really not come as a big surprise for anyone in the industry.

Rough statistics show us that Ericsson's prediction - which will probably come true to some extent soon - will place 14% of the world's population as mobile broadband users. Another way of looking at it - considering most home Internet users and mobile Internet users probably overlap - is that 50% of Internet users surf while on the road as well. Now, what does that mean to the guys who actually need to capitalize on this traffic?

• Mobile is growing - and that in itself is positive. Network providers and telecoms will see this growth impact their bottom lines, especially if they manage to oversell bandwidth plans to end-users.
• Service providers are pushing mobile as the next big thing - creating a lot of buzz, leveraging technology (4G?) and - generating a lot of interest. No-one publishes a Press Release for fun, and Ericsson prediction are part of that Marketing effort. In many ways - it is not the world that is going mobile - but the world's leading companies that are taking us there.
• The size factor. You have a smartphone, and probably know enough friends and family that have Smartphones too. How much video do you watch on your Smartphone? For how long? Mobile streaming video consumption is definitely on an uptrend, but - the amount of time spent watching video, and the screen sizes of Smartphones - make it a different volume "game" than home or office video consumption. Smartphone screen sizes can't increase significantly without it becoming too cumbersome to carry them around, so the maximum video bit-rate that will be used to stream to Mobile devices will not show the same growth Desktop video has had in the past few years. Since video is what really drives bandwidth, it is safe to assume actual mobile traffic consumption will plateau very soon. When then happens - service providers will have to shift where they make their money - from data to quality content perhaps, in order to continue growing. That's the size factor.

Will NFC change the way we shop?

Probably not in the near future - but that does seem to be where the mobile world is heading - with Google now jumping into the game (unofficially, of course). Major payment processors like Visa and MasterCard are already experimenting with NFC technology, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have partnered to gain more momentum in this area, and now ... Well, the biggest name on the Internet.

So what is NFC? Near Field Communication (or NFC) is short-range wireless communication, allowing devices to exchange data at a distance of around 4 inches. In other words, instead of swiping your credit card when shopping, you'll be able to swipe your Android or iPhone for example.