The Healthy Signs of Telecoms Going Mainstream
Another day here at Mobile World Congress, and I have noticed a strong shift in telecommunications - the hype really is gone in the industry! We are going the same route as power generation and power supply did at the end of the ’90s, and now nobody in the general public knows what is going on in that industry. That very same thing is now happening to telecoms. While there is still a lot of good business to be made, there is less hype… meaning less high-risk business endeavors, but more thought-through and sound business projects will prosper. It is a healthy sign.
This year, the energy and activity level at Mobile World Congress has been far better compared to the two previous years’ events. A lot of ideas about sharing networks were shown both by service providers and vendors. Huawei showcased the largest and widest portfolio and made a big impact with their lifetime cost approach. And NEC’s focus on cloud computing was impressive, expanding its concept to all types of customers/users and putting the operators in the central role.
Another thing that struck me about this year’s show is that there are not many Asian people in attendance. In particular, I did not find many of my Chinese industry colleagues. This week was the Chinese New Year with the spring festival, which is comparable to having an event during the United States’ Thanks giving holiday. Even still, there were several Asian companies participating and showing their goods, however few visitors from the region.
While previous Mobile World Congress events have been clogged with small startups trying to attract larger companies for M&A activities, this time it was far more companies aiming at building and growing on their own. Another very healthy sign.
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