US of M&A
- Clearwire will
disappear from the US market. Sprint is keen to bolster its spectrum
holdings to mount a proper attack on AT&T and Verizon, and in
December launched a bid for the 49% of Clearwire it doesn’t already own.
If it goes ahead, the Clearwire brand will disappear.
- More consolidation will take place in the US. The T-Mobile USA/MetroPCS and Softbank/Sprint deals will receive regulatory approval next year, leaving other players looking for acquisitions of their own. Leap Wireless will find itself the target for one of the big players.
Patent predicament
- Google will seek to acquire more patents. It learnt the hard way that Motorola Mobility’s patent portfolio lacks the weapons it needs to win the patent war. Its unlikely partnership with Apple to make a $500 million bid for Kodak’s imaging patents is an indication of the lengths it will go to.
MOBILITY
Steve and Steve
- Microsoft will consider making a move for Nokia. Admittedly, while an acquisition is not out of the question, provided the price is right, there are a number of potential obstacles that could prevent it. One way or another though, hardware will be higher on the agenda for Microsoft next year as its seeks to create a more integrated experience.
BRICs on the brink
- China
Mobile will regain some lost ground in the China 3G race. The world’s
largest mobile operator signed up proportionately fewer 3G customers
than rivals China Unicom and China Telecom in 2012, but the arrival of a
TD-SCDMA iPhone in 1H 2013 will reverse that trend.
- Network quality will come under scrutiny once again in Brazil as operators gear up to launch LTE.
- India will be disappointed with its second attempt to auction off 1800-MHz spectrum. Despite the growth opportunities in the market, the newcomers who had their licences suspended at the start of 2012 had largely failed to establish themselves, leaving others wary of taking the plunge.
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