STAMFORD, Conn.-Wireless handsets will continue to replace traditional telephones and 30 percent of U.S. homes will use only cellular or Internet telephony by 2010, according to the Gartner Group.
Growth in traditional wired voice connections will slow in North America, Western Europe and other developed markets as more people dedicate fixed phone lines to DSL links and switch to cellular or Internet telephony, according to Gartner in its annual predictions research released today.
Mobile communications will remain the preference of developing countries, Gartner said, and as a result, wireless connections will represent 99 percent of the world’s new voice connections in 2009. In 2004, Gartner said approximately 90 percent of the world’s new telecom connections were mobile.
The projections for wireless communications does not mean wireline links will become obsolete, however.
“Even with the tremendous growth of wireless connections, the telecom market cannot ignore the power of wires to deliver ‘rich’ services to businesses and individuals. Improvements in technology mean that even antiquated phone cables can transmit large amounts of data, and support television, Internet access and voice services simultaneously,” said Gartner.
