FRAMINGHAM, USA: The mobile sector is now a $850 billion global market, comprising 57 percent of the global telecom market. This is according to analyst firm IDC, who released its report, 'Worldwide Mobile Trends: Steady Subscriber Growth, the Proliferation of Applications, and the Mobile Internet'.

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It is also the fastest growing segment and will comprise 62 percent of the total telecom market in 2010, according to a new report from IDC.

The market is driven by subscriber growth—over 1.3 billion subscribers will be added by 2013—as well as several exciting trends and developments. These include the expanding demographic of smart devices, the growth of mobile broadband, and access to a stunning array of applications.

Four major trends that will shape the mobile industry:
Price compression, and the slowdown of revenue growth for mobile voice, highlights the tremendous importance of mobile data, mobile broadband, and the importance of applications for both operators and device manufacturers.

Smartphones have emerged as a key driver of the global mobile market, with 15 percent of all devices shipped. This phenomenon will be very important in both mature and emerging markets.

Another key driver will be the emergence of connected devices, such as embedded laptops and a plethora of industrial/machine to machine (M2M) devices.

2010 will bring substantial transformation in the mobile operating system (OS) landscape. In a market that was once dominated by a handful of pioneers, such as BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile, newcomers touting open standards (Android) and intuitive design and navigation (Mac OS X and webOS) have garnered strong end-user and handset vendor interest.

In the infrastructure segment, mobile broadband will continue to be the focus for 2010. Operators in mature markets will continue implementing HSPA. WiMAX will be a key driver in many emerging markets, while LTE will begin to take the limelight towards the end of the year and into 2011.

Courtney Munroe, group vice president, Worldwide Telecommunications, IDC, said: "The mobile sector is in transition from its prior focus on subscriber growth. The expanding demographics of smartphones and new operating systems, the arrival of mobile broadband, and the explosive growth of applications and content are combining to reshape the landscape of mobile telecommunications."