Networks and partners who find new revenue streams will differentiate themselves in the market, according to Phipps, as BlackBerry 10 will see the manufacturer take market share off Android and iOS in the B2B market
2013 will be an interesting mix of pressure of margins, costs with the 4G licences for the networks and a continuing challenging UK marketplace. There will not be the room for the size of the current partner channels, various networks have indicated that, and it will be the networks and partners who unlock new revenue streams the quickest who will stand above the crowd. Vodafone’s acquisition of Cable & Wireless, with the One Net portfolio, will help in that race and I think they will have significant growth in the enterprise sector because of it.
There will be increased pressure on Apple, with Samsung continuing to bite at their heels, and RIM’s BB10 launch will have a large effect on the B2B marketplace and see them gain market share in B2B at the cost of Android and iOS, as business customers seek better security as they use the devices for even more applications.
Mobile device management and BYOD will be high on the agenda and those networks, partners and manufacturers who offer the solutions will make significant gains.
I predict Microsoft Windows 8 will gain some traction as a unified offering, but with Nokia’s fortunes in decline and as their main handset manufacturer it is hard to see them take the market share they so desperately crave.
