Cloud computing has been a major buzzword for many years, and a number of vendors are now beginning to roll out cloud-based offerings to the market...

Push Technology and Telefonica Digital are collaborating to offer the first global high performance cloud solution...

There is a huge expectation among operators in emerging markets that smartphone penetration will increase fairly rapidly over the next three to five years. Operators want to be at the forefront of this and are therefore investing heavily to ensure that they not only have the best networks possible, but also have a clear understanding of mobile data services in order to develop new business models to accommodate their anticipated growth...

Cloud has been much talked about but implementations have been slow to take off...

The beehive of activity in large metropolitan cities like London or New York provides an obvious stage for network augmentation through innovations like small cells.

More and more people worldwide have access to high-speed Internet and devices capable of streaming videos; mobile phones have made it possible for consumers to access content wherever they go. With OTT streaming more popular than ever, the market is competitive...

Off the back of last month’s Mobile World Congress, a key trend that I noticed emerging was the need for service providers to recognise that the client is becoming increasingly central to their operation...

Consumers in emerging markets are now able to roam internationally at local data rates rather than paying premium rates of their home operator...

The battle for the hearts and minds of mobile users has never been fiercer and much has been spoken of the benefits of Big Data as a panacea for all ills...

Mobile World Congress has traditionally been the launch pad of the handset manufacturer's hottest and most innovative handsets. These handsets feature the latest network compatibility such as dual mode LTE for a range of markets and smarter technology such as NFC. More recently emerging markets have deployed 3G technology and due to lower income levels these markets need to offer significantly lower priced handsets...

Cellular phone usage has grown exponentially, and with the increased popularity of smartphones that can access the Internet and social media, which requires connectivity, mobile operators are finding themselves increasingly unable to cope with the sheer volumes of data traffic...

By 2015 the volume of mobile money transactions will reach $1 trillion. Global companies must tackle five key challenges to make the most of this opportunity or wonder who moved their money...

No other practice in the mobile telecom industry is more environmentally harmful than powering several hundred thousand of off-grid base stations by burning diesel fuel. One single diesel powered base station can consume around 20,000 litres of diesel per year, and spew 50 tonnes of carbon emission into the atmosphere...

Internet enabled devices are becoming more and more popular in all markets, but not all operators are seeing cellular data usage or revenues rise in line with this growth. Feature phones hide rarely used web technology, and smartphones are often used over WiFi networks only. As competition forces voice and SMS revenues to decline, smart operators are aware that a huge revenue stream is about to open up for them once they convince consumers to embrace mobile data...

Developing Telecoms annual survey of telecom trends in emerging markets is now complete. We contacted senior executives at over 700 companies - vendors, network operators and mobile service providers - known to be active in emerging markets.

So what are the top telecoms trends for 2013 in emerging markets?

2013 will prove to be another interesting year for the sector...

As 2013 gets underway, we will see a shift towards a truly digital society...

Emerging markets have always been quick to adopt innovative mobile technologies:  low ARPUs means this is essential to creating a strong business case. In 2013 as we see smartphone penetration in emerging markets rising rapidly, we’ll see this trend continue, with new, efficient technologies deployed throughout the network...

The mobile data boom that is set to continue into 2013 and beyond, and service providers will need to find technologies and strategies to survive and thrive...

China Mobile is reportedly considering expanding into five new markets...

Broadband will only get bigger and better in 2013...

Emerging markets will have easier access to high-speed internet in 2013, which will accelerate uptake...

In 2013, there will be a continued shift in focus for Communications Service Providers (CSPs) from ‘volume-led’ acquisition growth to a ‘value-based’ retention and growth strategy...

LTE will continue to grow, with the TDD strand becoming more high-profile in 2013...

Western Union views the following as the strongest digital trends in the financial services industry in emerging markets in 2013...

Brazil will see a major overhaul of its networks in 2013... 

The key word for emerging markets this year is mobility...

This year, there will be a significant shift from VPNs to public, private and, importantly, hybrid clouds...

Churn will continue to be a major issue for operators in emerging markets in 2013...

Some emerging markets are amongst the most "bandwidth-hungry" environments, even compared to the traditional, more mature North American and European markets...

The CSPs in emerging markets making the most gains in 2013 will be those prepared to innovate in service offerings and customer experience, making the most of the information they will have at their fingertips...

Bandwidth-intensive rich media services will continue to grow this year as BYOD and universal communications take centre stage...

Smart device users will increasingly consume data that they don't have to pay for in 2013...