News & Analysis
Updated: Parting shots from MWC 2012
Rick Merritt
3/1/2012 3:57 PM EST
Little devices, big traffic
The MWC show was full of devices that will help drive the traffic to drive network growth.
Nvidia and Huawei both showed their latest quad-core application processors driving enough bits to fill big screen high def video displays for movies and low-latency gaming. Huawei rolled out its own smartphones a and tablets (at bottom) using its new K3V2 chip; Nvidia got design wins in smartphones with HTC, Fujitsu, ZTE and others
Mobile payments will be another growth driver, a priority second only to building out LTE nets, said Franco Bernabe, chairman of Telecom Italia. He estimated 1.5 million handsets will use near-field communications to process $50 billion in secure transactions by 2015.
Visa struck a deal at MWC to process secure transactions on Vodaphone’s network, the first of many such tie ups expected over the next few years. Such one-on-one deals are the most sane way of handling all the complexities of how to keep the mobile transactions secure and who gets what slice of the fee for completing them, said a Visa representative.
For example, just in terms of security, some handsets use so-called secure elements on SIM cards, others use microSD cards and some use the Trusted Computing Group's hardware root of trist technique. Visa showed handsets it will support from RIM, LG, Samsung and a third part sleeve for the Apple iPhone 4s.
Meanwhile handset makers from LG to ZTE competed for who had the most LTE capable devices. And of course no wireless show would be complete without a networked vending machine. MWC had at least two, the one (below) from NSN, another at the Visa booth.
Next: New uses for LTE
The MWC show was full of devices that will help drive the traffic to drive network growth.
Nvidia and Huawei both showed their latest quad-core application processors driving enough bits to fill big screen high def video displays for movies and low-latency gaming. Huawei rolled out its own smartphones a and tablets (at bottom) using its new K3V2 chip; Nvidia got design wins in smartphones with HTC, Fujitsu, ZTE and others
Mobile payments will be another growth driver, a priority second only to building out LTE nets, said Franco Bernabe, chairman of Telecom Italia. He estimated 1.5 million handsets will use near-field communications to process $50 billion in secure transactions by 2015.Visa struck a deal at MWC to process secure transactions on Vodaphone’s network, the first of many such tie ups expected over the next few years. Such one-on-one deals are the most sane way of handling all the complexities of how to keep the mobile transactions secure and who gets what slice of the fee for completing them, said a Visa representative.
For example, just in terms of security, some handsets use so-called secure elements on SIM cards, others use microSD cards and some use the Trusted Computing Group's hardware root of trist technique. Visa showed handsets it will support from RIM, LG, Samsung and a third part sleeve for the Apple iPhone 4s.
Meanwhile handset makers from LG to ZTE competed for who had the most LTE capable devices. And of course no wireless show would be complete without a networked vending machine. MWC had at least two, the one (below) from NSN, another at the Visa booth.
Next: New uses for LTE
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iniewski
3/1/2012 6:56 PM EST
Great review Rick...I wonder whether anyone discussed in Barcelona wireless polution and increased power consumption caused by all these wireless technologies? Kris
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sharps_eng
3/2/2012 3:04 PM EST
Good point, there is an acceptance that as long as a device is rechargeable it is 'green', although it may have a net power consumption that would be unacceptable if powered from a primary battery. Transferring these devices' smart power-saving tricks to battery-powered devices might be something we will see, but we need a new, greener primary cell first.
Some fuel cells look interesting there, some claiming to be recyclable.
Professionally, I am concerned about the EMI background noise floor rising at a measurable rate, as you point out.
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Frank Eory
3/2/2012 3:30 PM EST
Interesting comments about Huawei vs. the traditional players. Great article Rick!
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