An AT&T executive said connecting every device to a cellular or wireless connection is the “next big thing" that will fuel growth in the industry.
“Everything that has a current running through it will be connected," CNET quoted Glenn Lurie, AT&T’s head of emerging devices, as saying during a gathering of wireless executives one day ahead of the CTIA Enterprise & Applications conference and exposition in San Diego.
It’s no secret that the U.S. wireless industry needs to find new areas of growth beyond growing their mobile-phone customer base. The penetration rate of U.S. wireless subscriber connections at the end of June was 103.9 percent, according to CTIA-The Wireless Association.
The market for connected devices could help U.S. mobile operators and other players in the wireless industry continue to grow revenues. GSMA, an association that represents mobile operators worldwide, on Monday revealed that the number of total connected devices is forecast to increase from roughly 9 billion today to more than 24 billion in 2020. That growth will represent a revenue opportunity for mobile operators worldwide of nearly $1.2 trillion by 2020, including $241 billion in North America, said GSMA, which released research on connected devices in partnership with London-based Machina Research.
But Lurie noted that consumers tend to become nervous about having several connected devices, which potentially could lead to multiple bills. "We've got to make it so it's more simplistic for people to understand," Lurie said. "That's up to us."
