Globalization is taking a crab walk. The result will likely be a significant delay in the next big as the industry is busy adapting to the new realities. Whatever gadget enters the market – be prepared to pay the full price for it. A business model where hardware is subsidized and profits are only expected from later subscription or software revenues become more difficult as the cost of borrowing money rises.
A year from now, we may better understand the implications of a prolonged trade war. For a telco, it means a return to regional vendors, as we already see for 5G, regional standards, and setbacks in global interoperability. This will undoubtedly also shake the IPR landscape, which has so far not been too much affected by deglobalization. Instead of consumer-driven innovations, we will see rapid progress in 5G drone control, surveillance systems, and similar safety and security-related use cases.
A year back, we would have expected the drones to be carrying people and other mostly harmless payloads. Now the importance of weapons and explosives is much higher. Luckily with a short delay, the progress is also visible in consumer applications.
2023 will have a happy end
By the end of 2023, we are likely to consider covid and the sudden spikes in inflation that set limits to consumption as being history. Many of us may have less spare money than before, but we get used to it over time. Also, the climate crisis won’t go away, but it’s time to be optimistic again. And sure – there will be a new set of iPhones and Pixels to choose from. That is quite easy to predict.