MWC 2019 could best be characterized as displaying an anxiety borne from an industry suffering from a combination of split personality disorder and ADHD. It is clear that we have an industry where its participants know there needs to be change, and without that change and a massive recalibration of its fundamental business model and modus operandi, it will become obfuscated. What we saw as a response to this deep-seated “need” is much misdirected energy and a lack of unification about how to achieve this massive change.

ABI Research had seven analysts at the conference. Their findings are captured in our second annual post-conference whitepaper, “The Future of the Mobile Industry: A Reality Check From Mobile World Congress 2019: 6 Brief Reads for Visionaries.” Our analysts focused on the most compelling transformative technologies:

  • 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure
  • Digital Security
  • M2M (Machine to Machine), IoT (Internet of Things) & IoE (Internet of Everything)
  • Smart Cities & Smart Spaces
  • Smart Mobility and Automotive
  • Smartphones & Wearables

Some of the analysts’ conclusions from the whitepaper include:

  • Private LTE is slowly getting momentum in a market where 5G takes all the headlines
  • A new trend is emerging in the convergence of MSPs and cloud giants as the two categories need each other
  • As a form factor, iSIM is clearly positioning to take advantage of the massive IoT to address low power, computing capable, and low-cost device types
  • Innovation within the payment cards space has clearly moved down the value chain to smaller, more agile players, particularly from a fingerprint sensor perspective
  • The unveiling of fundamental new business strategies and market positioning for traditional IoT module and chipset suppliers