Will 2015 be the year of the phablet?

Smartphones are just not big enough, and you can’t slip most tablets into a pocket. It could be a phab year, as engineers really focus on creating devices that seamlessly integrate with people on the move.

The wearable predictions have turned out mixed at best.

The jury’s still out on the Apple Watch, which is as much of a branded luxury item for those conspicuous consumers (e.g., Rolex) as it is a breakthrough in the way people use tech. Google Glass simply didn’t make it; once the term “glassholes” entered the nerd lexicon, it was toast for the advanced eyewear. Still the fitbit and other exercise optimizers seem to be doing well and these wearables could connect more with home devices, changing the settings of rooms as the person wearing the device walks into them.

“We are no longer living in a mobile-first world, we are in a mobile-only world.”

So says Google CEO Larry Page, and he has a good record for predicting these things. Still many ecommerce sites lack the right platform to take advantage. With Google’s new mobile ranking, if companies haven’t been serious enough about their mobile strategies, they’ll begin to. Or had better.

WiFi calling on the rise.

Cord cutting is catching on, and companies are responding. Last year was the year streaming was on the rise. People like the efficiency and cost savings.

Big Mergers.

If you’re a telecom company it’s good to get along with others. No one will be able to go it alone. Given the need for nonstop R&D and cut-throat competition, 2015 telecom will be a year of consolidation.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.