More Demand for Mobile Enterprise Applications

Though there are clearly dominant players in the mobile e-mail middleware space--namely Microsoft and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM)--the market for mobile middleware for business applications isn't currently owned by any such companies, Current Analysis says.

That means there's a significant opportunity for carriers and for providers of ERP and CRM applications. Database vendors like Sybase and SAP, as well as small mobile middleware specialists could also capitalize. New improvements in 2008 will include support for existing applications on new platforms like Apple's iPhone and Google Android devices--should they become available in the second half of 2008, as expected--as well as enhancements to applications using location information, Current Analysis says.

Wireless Worlds (Local and Wide-Area) Collide

A growing number of handset manufacturers, including RIM, are offering dual mode cellular/WLAN, or cellular/voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi or VoFi) devices, and more and more carriers are supporting them, according to Current Analysis.

By using devices, business smartphone users can gain flexibility and convenience while on the go and within the office or factory, as well as cost savings, according to research firm In-Stat. In addition to smartphones with such dual mode functionality, a growing number of laptops with embedded Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity are being released. Companies like Cisco and Aruba Networks, both of which were recently named top VoWi-Fi ecosystem vendors by ABI Research, are currently working with carriers to offering multiservice mobility platforms, Current Analysis says.

Quality of Mobile Service Will Continue to Diminish; Demand for Less Feature-Rich Phones Will Increase

For all the progress on data speeds and accessibility, security and management are not the only worries for enterprise IT managers. For the eighth year in a row, the quality of mobile service will disintegrate, according to inCode.

The use of new third-generation (3G) technologies, multiband, multiradio technologies, feature-heavy handsets and outdated roaming options has over the past years depleted mobile service to levels lower than before the introduction of 3G, Fuenzalida says.

The trend will continue as newer technologies are introduced and more and more feature rich devices are used, leading to an increase in disconnected calls, poorer call quality and failed connections. Demand will increase for phones that operate on a single band and that have fewer complex applications to drain battery life as users begin to value reliability over bells and whistles, according to inCode.