Om Malik writes:
Despite a lot of attention being paid to high end smart phones and 3G handsets, the next big thing in wireless could be cheap sub-$50 phones. If you look at the wireless markets worldwide, you can easily see that big wireless growth is coming from markets like India, China, Brazil and parts of Africa. In these countries, cellular services so far have been favored by consumers in the upper end of the economic spectrum, folks who can afford $200 phones.
The next phase of growth is going to be driven by the mass market which is looking for cheap and affordable phones to complement low-cost calling plans.
Hop-On is a good example. At CTIA next week, it is going to introduce a $36 handset.
