Mobile, Convergence, Devices, China: The new year is barely a month old but vendors and technology specialists have much to look forward to according to analysts. Developing Telecoms has taken a look at the forecasts and presents a roundup of the trends and forecasts we think will be important in Asia-Pacific in the next few years...

Mobility...

More enterprises will start adopting mobility As the population of mobile workers continues to grow in the region, Asia-Pacific enterprises will adopt a clearer and longer-term strategic approach to the deployment of mobile technologies in 2007, according to Springboard Research.

With mobile and wireless technologies becoming more pervasive with the launch of more high-speed wireless networks, it will become increasingly difficult for organisations to keep mobility out of their IT strategies. However, given the personal nature of mobility, most organisations will have a tough time managing it in their current IT environment, where they will find it tough to control the ever-changing behaviour of mobile users.

Mobile GPS...

The mobile GPS  market will grow This is just one such surprise growth area. According to a recent report by research company Strategy Analytics, some 16 million smartphones with Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities will be shipped worldwide in 2010. The analyst also predicts that satellite-navigation companies - faced with a growing market offering low-cost, basic map-based products - will be forced to dream up new innovative services to stay competitive. According to a separate report by Gartner, 60% of the worldwide cellular population will be "trackable" via location-based services by 2010.

Internet-based apps move onto mobiles...

With nearly 4 billion mobile users expected worldwide by the end of 2010, the likes of Yahoo and Google are aggressively pursuing more consumers in the mobile market by introducing applications tweaked for the smaller, mobile screen, including search and location-based services.

Fixed-mobile convergence starts...

Wireless service provider SingTel fired the first salvo after it announced mio, a service that brings together fixed and mobile technology to consumers. Analyst IDC predicts that more telecom network operators will begin initial deployments of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) services in 2007. Technologies such as mesh networking, peer-to-peer computing, software-defined radio equipment, USB-based High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) modems, and IPv6 (IP version 6) upgrades to Internet equipment have helped push the capability and desirability of FMC services and networks.

Mobile to mobile convergence grows...

Handsets that support multiple radio technologies (also known as dual-mode handsets) are already here but experts expect such devices to start to make good on their potential in 2007. Companies such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson have begun experimenting with devices that can switch between cellular and IP-based voice connectivity, and this year will likely see more products being launched.

WiMax remains niche...

Singapore’s plans to spread free wireless access to its citizens have already come to fruition with the launch of the iN2015 initiative. Falling 3G broadband prices will likely spur adoption among businesses. However, research company Ovum noted that next-generation wireless technologies such as WiMax will remain niche technologies in most markets for the next five years - and will not be implemented anytime soon.

Broadband Surges on the back of VoIP...

AMI-Partners expects the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations) broadband figure to flow past the 200 million mark in 2007. Emerging countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam will fuel this growth, thanks to falling broadband prices coupled with the increasing use of Net telephony (VoIP) and applications that drive the need for speed and bandwidth.

Mobile networks will outgrow fixed-line services...

A study commissioned by the GSM Association shows that 90% of the world's population will have access to mobile networks by the end of the decade. The study also shows that governments have collected more than US$6 billion from the telecoms industry and that mobile coverage is expected to expand further. As the World Bank estimates, the capital cost of providing mobile coverage is still more affordable than installing fixed-line connections by a factor of ten.

Mobile IPTV...

Wireless IPTV services will capture Chinese viewership in the Beijing Olympics run-up. According to a study by Analysys, China's wireless digital broadcasting for handheld TV will continue to grow in 2007 before hitting an estimated viewership of 22.19 million in 2010. Likewise, IDC expects the 2008 Beijing Games to be a big driver of IPTV adoption in China and the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan.

Laptops and notebooks market to grow...

Laptops will take Asia's mature and emerging markets by storm, according to IDC. Notebooks will be the fastest-growing PC form in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan, with over 25% growth in unit shipment this year. The research house said falling prices and growing awareness will help drive this market growth, resulting in more multiple-PC households and increased migration away from desktops. While notebook growth will be also be aggressive, IDC predicts that the 3G-enabled notebook segment will see disappointing results in 2007 where bottlenecks at the network operators will cause delayed demand.

Apple’s Smartphone arrives with much hype...

Apple will try to take a big bite into the handset market with the launch of its first iPhone cellular device, powered by Apple’s own OS X operating system. The hype will be massive, but whether it can make an impact in a market traditionally dominated by Nokia and its Symbian handsets remains to be seen. According to statistics from Gartner, smartphone sales increased by 75.5% to 37.4 million units in 2005. Nokia dominated smartphone sales in the first half of 2006, capturing 42% market share.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has said he expects to sell 10 million units, or approximately 1%of the global phone market sales, by 2008 - the same year the iPhone will make its debut in Asia. The product captured the attention of journalists at its US launch, January 2007. But industry experts say it seems under-specified and over priced when compared to rivals and has still to prove it can deliver. Retailers may be falling over themselves to get distribution rights but will the Apple hype be enough to convince consumers?