This Report is locked

Please sign in or register for a free public account to access this report.

Learn more about our packages

One of the most controversial comments to come out of last week’s Mobile Asia Congress was Masayoshi Son’s belief that future mobile networks won’t be up to the job of solely handling tomorrow’s data-intensive devices and applications. To summarise, the CEO of SoftBank - Japan’s number three mobile operator - said it will be necessary to rely on Wi-Fi technology to take the strain off its HSPA and LTE networks, especially in homes.

Of course, fears over capacity constraints are nothing new, and a reason why femtocells are being heavily hyped. After years of promise, devices such as the iPhone have finally given users a reason to access rich data services whilst on the move. This has created such a boom in data use that some operators have struggled to cope. O2 UK, which recently admitted its network has not always been up to the task of supporting its portfolio of smartphones, was moved to last week announce new network investment of “hundreds of millions” of pounds.

What is new is SoftBank’s approach to seeing mobile and Wi-Fi technologies as complementary and fundamental to the operator’s future business model. And the fact that LTE could need the support of some wireless local area networking friends on its path to next-gen mobile technology dominance.

Authors

How to access this report

Annual subscription: Subscribe to our research modules for comprehensive access to more than 200 reports per year.

Enquire about subscription

Contact our research team

Get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis.

Contact our research team

Media

To cite our research, please see our citation policy in our Terms of Use, or contact our Media team for more information.

Learn more

Related research

MWC Shanghai 2025: a window into the future?

5G
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Mobile networks and connectivity
Satellite and non-terrestrial networks (NTN)
Digital Consumer
IoT & Enterprise
Mobile Operators and Networks
Fixed, TV and Convergence
Spectrum

MWC Shanghai is in the books for another year, having attracted 45,000 visitors (from 12,500 companies), along with 400 exhibitors and partner groups. The numbers were up from the 2024 event by 13% and 92% respectively. This analysis highlights the key takeaways and implications from meetings, summits and announcements at the event – and in particular, whether the progress seen in China can be mapped to other regions.

This report is locked

GSMA Open Gateway: State of the Market, H1 2025

Digital industries
Mobile networks and connectivity
Mobile Operators and Networks

Representing 285 networks and almost 80% of mobile subscribers worldwide, 73 operator groups are now committed to GSMA Open Gateway. This latest research provides an update on the state of the market, recent developments, and examples of GSMA Open Gateway in action. It also offers a deep dive on supply/demand gap analysis.

This report is locked

The Mobile Economy Latin America 2025

Mobile networks and connectivity
Mobile Operators and Networks

Operators across Latin America are making steady progress on their 5G journey, with adoption forecast to reach more than 50% by 2030. This latest edition of The Mobile Economy Latin America provides an update on key mobile market data and the impact of mobile on the economy across the region.

This report is locked
Full access
Get full access to our research now, get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis
  • 200 reports a year
  • 50 million data points
  • Over 350 metrics