Service offerings need to be available on a mobile platform too says TruTeq Devices
Wireless connectivity has become essential to the way we conduct business – and live – today. There are about 6 billion cellular phones for the estimated global population of 7 billion, showing how deep the allure – and need – for mobile communications has gone.
According to Derick Roberts, CEO of TruTeq Devices, which focuses on providing wireless connectivity solutions to all market sectors – including the likes of Sasol and Eskom – cellular phone accounts in the USA outnumber the country’s 312 million population.
“But,” said Roberts, “it doesn’t stop there – there are already more than 100 million smart-enabled cellular phones operating on the globe, with this number growing rapidly. Mobile communications is what it is about – and any company wanting to reach the masses needs to think mobile.”
“Currently, smart phones make up a fairly small percentage of the global cell phone population, but they are rapidly coming to the fore where 3G and 4G networks are available to support them. Service providers have realized the need, and demand, for smart phones and are pushing to roll out compliant networks. Companies like Facebook have painfully realized that it is becoming increasingly important to tap into the mobile market. Indeed, it is Facebook’s inability to get a foothold in this market that has gotten market watchers worried about the social networking behemoth’s future, with Facebook’s share price taking a hammering last year.
“Unless the executives at Facebook find a way to tap into the mobile market – and derive a revenue stream from it – the company’s future will be questioned. Certainly its prospects as an attractive investment are at risk. This signals just how important mobile communications – and the mobile market – are becoming. It is on our doorstep and heading right through our front doors – in a headlong rush. Companies need to take note of this fact,” said Roberts.
Meanwhile, ABI Research projects growth to 245 million smart phones by 2016, with cellular phone subscriptions – according to market watchers – expected to rise to 6.5 billion in 2015. Smart phone sales will grow to a whooping 1.03 billion by 2015.
“The market is taking off like a jet airplane – and nothing is going to stop it. Communications is going mobile and companies who provide solutions and software services are going to have to ensure that they offer solutions that cater for the mobile population at large. People are going to want to have access to things via their cellular phones. They are going to want to access literally everything via their cell phones,” said Roberts.
“This includes banking, shopping, home security – including pre-paid security, – and the paying of all utilities, such as water and lights, via their cellular phones. No matter what service you offer, if it is not mobile, it is possibly doomed to failure.”