What Happens in Vegas…
The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off yesterday, but even the biggest and flashiest consumer technology show of the year isn’t immune to the economic meltdown happening around us. Attendance is down this year, for both exhibitors and attendees, and the promise of new products at the show hasn’t bolstered performance predictions for tech companies. While scanning for news from Las Vegas, I was particularly struck by the predictions for the wireless industry’s year ahead.
Some analysts are projecting as much as negative 10% growth overall in the mobile industry in 2009, and while smartphone sales are expected to be up, it won’t be enough to save companies looking at major losses. So how do carriers react, especially those in the middle of expansive and costly network transformations? And where can they cut costs enough to help them survive into 2010?
Now more than ever just in time network planning is critical for carriers. With such sudden economic downturns, the ability to respond to network and business demands as they happen can mean the difference between rolling out a network efficiently and becoming a cautionary tale for competitors. Optimizing next-gen networks is one of the greatest opportunities operators have for significant cost savings. All of this being said, I hope that proper planning will help save the wireless industry in 2009.
