Tech takeaways from MWC

A toothbrush that tells how well you have brushed your teeth, a gadget that alerts farmers to changes in the temperature of pregnant cows signalling when the delivery is about to begin and a sensory tablet that use ultrasonic vibrations to convey tactile sensations were among the big wow factors at this year’s Mobile World Congress at Barcelona. The significance of these projects is that they suggest that sensors of all kinds are getting cheap enough to be offered in mass-market products. “The combination of sensors with analytics and more usable front ends mean that the Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly becoming a reality,” says Pauline Trotter, principal analyst, Ovum.

But more than the futuristic gadgets and cool new wearable devices, the conversations at this year’s event were louder around the challenges in connecting the next billion users. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Founder of Facebook, in his key note address argued that the biggest barrier in connecting people to the Internet in emerging markets is no longer the cost of phones, but expensive data plans. He made a case for operators to introduce unlimited bundles with free access to basic Internet services such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. But the key problem is that this proposal is Facebook-centric, with the social network and other Internet players reaping the immediate benefits. Telecom companies, which invest billions of dollars in buying spectrum and rolling out networks, do not get adequate returns.

Even before Zuckerberg delivered his keynote, the CEO of WhatsApp, Jan Koum, announced that the social messaging service will soon support voice calling. This has worried telecom companies as nearly 80 per cent of revenues still come from voice. Gopal Vittal, CEO of Airtel called for level playing field with Internet services companies. “Many of these players don’t pay licence fee, they operate on unregulated environment. The telcos on the other hand are highly regulated. There has to be greater deliberation on how to look at this,” Vittal said.

The positive thing for telecom operators is that technology vendors like Ericsson and Nokia Solutions network are readying the fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks which will allow them to offer super download speeds. This technology is expected to begin rolling out in 2020 and the experts at MWC promise that 5G will let users download an entire high-definition movie in one second. This network will also help in accelerate move towards taking connectivity beyond people to billions of objects such as cars, washing machines, kitchen appliances and electricity meters.

The other significant trend coming out of MWC was the rush towards cheaper smartphones by big brands. From a $25 smartphone, which Mozilla Foundation says it is developing for this year, to Nokia’s Android-based X series priced between 89 euros and 109 euros phone manufacturers are trying to tap into the fastest-growing markets such as India, China and West Asia. "The affordable smartphone market is growing four times faster than the overall smartphone market. This wasn’t a very clear trend three years ago. This is why Nokia has decided to come in now," explained Timo Toikkanen, the head of Nokia's mobile phones unit. Even the struggling Blackberry announced plans to launch sub-Rs 12,000 smartphone in a last ditch effort to get back into the volumes game.

While its early to predict which startegy will pay off and which player will survive, faster network combined with affordable, smarter devices sounds like a recipe poised for much excitement from the consumer point of view. And if MWC 2014 is any indication of whats in store then there is lot to watch out for in the tech world.

(The writer was in Barcelona on invitation by Nokia)