Mobile technology is fundamentally changing the world we live in today. The proliferation of mobile devices has significantly impacted lifestyles and dramatically increased the ways people and businesses connect. Mobile technology is now indispensable and, along with improved connectivity, has opened up new opportunities and sparked new industries.
Mobile revolution
The computing industry has evolved significantly from the PC era of the 90s, to today where smartphones are pocket computers, capable of doing everything from ordering your taxi to planning your vacation.
The mobile industry is yet at the cusp of another revolution building the foundation of Internet of Everything, expanding the interaction from people amongst each other; to people to machines; and machine to machine. As devices have undergone a transformation, the connectivity technology that makes them smart is more important than ever. Increased investments in mobile technologies — a whopping $1.8 trillion in capital expenditure and in R&D from 2009 to 2013 – and falling mobile network infrastructure costs (95 per cent from 2G to 3G and 67 per cent from 3G to 4G ) have accelerated 3G mobile adoption worldwide. 3G has proved to be a game changer in this regard; the shift from 2G to 3G has resulted in faster, more reliable networks equipped with higher voice and data capacity. 3G has proved to be a catalyst for innovation, stimulating economic possibilities and enhancing socioeconomic conditions, particularly in parts of the world with limited or no internet penetration. 4G is set to take broadband connectivity yet to a new level of performance and impact.
Benefits of mobile broadband
As developed and emerging countries around the world look for ways to accelerate economic growth and increase economic inclusion for all of their citizens, it’s important to consider the transformative power of mobile broadband.
Today, we are already seeing how mobile devices positively impact the socio-economic development of emerging nations around the world. In fact, studies show that having sufficient mobile broadband penetration can add as much as 0.2 per cent to GDP growth in high-income nations and 0.11 per cent in low-income nations.
Opportunities brought about by mobile technology extend far beyond the ecosystem itself; it is now impacting, reshaping and restructuring virtually all business sectors. This is more evident in developed regions, where mobile broadband is the key to innovation in various verticals, including automotive, education and smart cities. This trend is also highly relevant among emerging countries — largely expected to account for up to 80 per cent of all mobile device shipments by 2018 .
Qualcomm is at the forefront of such innovation, and we are keen “to make it easy for people to get on the Internet of Everything,” as put by our CEO Steve Mollenkopf recently. For instance, we recently unveiled a Maserati Quattroporte technology concept car at CES 2015, featuring the field-proven QNX OS and the QNX CAR Platform, and Snapdragon automotive solutions platform. The result: the definitive statement in immersive in-vehicle experiences, featuring advanced technologies for infotainment, digital instrument clusters, and driver assistance.
When it comes to education, we believe learning should happen everywhere — in the classroom, on the bus, in museums, at the park — the possibilities are endless. Together with our ecosystem participants, Qualcomm Education is working to enable safe, affordable and equitable 24/7 mobile centric learning globally. Despite many successful education pilot projects that demonstrate how giving students 24/7 access to their learning materials has a positive impact on their achievement, uptake of mobile learning has been stymied due to a number of barriers, such as digital equity and affordable, managed 24/7 connectivity, which we are actively working to address across countries.
Finally, smart cities are built on mobile broadband. Their very premise — where every device is connected to every other one — requires tremendous bandwidth and connectivity. For a country such as the UAE, which is looking to position itself as an innovation hub in the region and has a highly evolved mobile ecosystem, it is key to continue to be on the forefront of mobile technology, starting with migration to 4G/LTE.
What next?
With the proliferation of 3G in the Middle East and with the ecosystem building up around 4G/LTE technology, 4G forms a crucial component to any operator’s broader mobile wireless offerings and services (that includes 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, etc.). And operators with this diversified offering of networks are best positioned to capitalise in this age of Internet of everything.
4G and beyond is set to play a pivotal role in the coming years — especially in the UAE — where the government’s drive to create smart city leading up to Expo 2020, along with the Innovation Strategy and Vision 2021, combine to provide an environment where innovation in mobile connectivity and technology can flourish. With strong leadership, a young, tech-savvy population and growing start-up culture, the future of the mobile ecosystem in the UAE enabled by Qualcomm who’s entrenched strongly in innovation and invention of new mobile technologies, looks set to go from strength to strength.
By Jay Srage
Jay Srage is president for Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and Pacific region at Qualcomm. Views expressed by the writer are his own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy.
