http://www.chetansharma.com/2013_Mobile_Industry_Predictions_Survey.pdf

First things first. From all of us at Chetan Sharma Consulting, we wish you and yours a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2013. My thanks to all who participated in our 2013 Mobile Predictions Annual Survey. It gives our community an insider’s view of the trends and predictions for the New Year.

2012 was a terrific year for the mobile industry. Mobile data continued to drive most of the mobile growth around the world. Mobile also started impacting every major vertical industry around the globe. In fact, mobile has become so ingrained in the fabric of business productivity and social interaction that it is not longer the new growth engine, it has become the engine.

The competitive dynamics stayed quite vibrant in 2012. We saw epic battles in the markets as well as in the courts. 2012 also saw the PC value chain struggling for relevance while the smartphones and tablets unit sales captured all the attention and headlines.

As we peer into 2013, we will see the total number of cellular subscriptions eclipsing humans on the planet. The connected device made steady progress. Anything that should be connected is being connected - creating a web of new opportunities and challenges.

LTE has become the fastest deployed cellular technology in the approximately 35 year history of the industry. Broadband combined with connected devices and applications are changing the way we live, we interact with others, do business, and consume information.

The European economic crisis impacted many players especially the large telcos, making the transition to digital ever more urgent. As voice and messaging revenue curves decline and access revenue approaches its high mark in the next few years, investment in the fourth curve becomes critical for all players.

Our annual survey is a way for us to engage our community on the trends for the next year. We put some of the pressing questions to our colleagues and industry leaders. We are able to glean some valuable insights from their choices and comments, some tangible shifts, and get a sense of what’s to come. Executives, developers, and insiders (n=200) from leading mobile companies and startups from across the value chain and from around the world participated to help see what 2013 might bring to keep us on our toes. What makes this survey unique is that it draws upon the collective wisdom of folks who are at the center of the mobile evolution. The survey provides a view of how they see the upcoming year for mobile.

30 names were randomly drawn for the limited edition of the Mobile Future Forward 2012 book. The winners are:

• Ryan Carney, UX, Gfk
• Wes Biggs, CTO, Adfonic
• Volker Hirsch, Head of BD, RIM
• Bobby Morrison, President, Verizon Wireless
• Chris Walls, Strategy, Huawei
• Von Cameron, EVP, Smith Micro
• Sami Makelainen, Manager, Telstra
• Martin Fichter, VP, HTC
• Jeff Hasen, CMO, Hipcricket
• Paul Brody, VP, IBM
• Michael Mullany, CEO, Sencha
• Mick Welch, Manager, Nokia
• Jana Messerschmidt, VP, Twitter
• Akio Orii, SVP, Toyota
• Gina Bovara, Software Services, Intel
• Mark Brill, Lead Partner, Brand Emotivity
• Stuart Saunders, CEO, Mobile Defense
• Tony Greco, Director, ZTE
• Venu Vasudevan, Sr. Director, Motorola
• Elliott Hamilton, Sr. Director, TeleCommunication Systems
• Biljana Jovicic, VAS, Digitel
• Robin Jewsbury, Cofounder, Promoht
• Julie Dey, VP, Rootmetrics
• Pat Nunally, VP, Upaid
• Paul Upham, Director, Welldoc
• Sagar Tamang, Director, Nielsen
• Andrew Meadors, Engineer, Cisco
• Nikao Yang, SVP, Adcolony
• Pelle Larsen, Director, SingTel
• Kelly Amsbry, Sr. Planner, Microsoft
• Elisabeth Rainge, Head – Strategy, NSN

Thanks again to everyone who contributed. We will be calling on you again next year.

Be well, do good work, stay in touch, and stay away from Triskaidekaphobiacs.

Thanks and with warm wishes,

Chetan