One noteworthy trend is toward non-voice wireless devices aimed at specific niche markets, such as the OGO and Nokia's N-gage, according to ABI. The
OGO offers unlimited instant messaging and email at a modest cost, and is aimed at the youth market. The
N-Gage, another non-voice device, is a mobile multiplayer game deck that includes Bluetooth and GPRS, digital music player, stereo FM radio, MMS, email, and XHTML browser.
Finally, ABI predicts a rapid rise in the number of Wi-Fi compatible cellular phones on the market. "Starting this year, and gaining momentum over the next two years, Wi-Fi-capable phones will ship in large and growing numbers," observes Philip Solis, ABI's senior analyst for wireless connectivity. "The number of embedded Wi-Fi ICs sold will surpass that of Wi-Fi networking chipsets by 2006, and is forecast to account for more than twice as many units shipped by 2007."
The two new ABI reports are:
- Mobile Devices Service -- examines global trends in wireless handsets, with forecasts segmented by technology and by region.
- Wi-Fi Service -- offers data on the Wi-Fi market ranging from hotspot deployments to integrated circuit shipments to equipment revenues.
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