Mobile communications: global trends in the 21st century

The paper presents an overview of the mobile communications industry. Many aspects of the industry are analysed including the importance of mobile communications, brief history of the industry and mobile applications such as mobile phones, satellites, other handheld devices, wireless computing and m-commerce. The competitive landscape of the mobile phone market is explored based on competing protocols or standards, airtime carriers and handset providers. Trends and forecasts predicted by experts for the industry are also outlined. The key characteristics of the US mobile market are compared with that of European and Asian markets.