Mobile operators in the new millennium – retrospect and prospect

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this paper is primarily to look back over developments in the mobile sector during the period 1999‐present (mid‐2009).

Design/methodology/approach

A number of databases have been constructed and these are drawn upon to provide a framework for the analysis.

Findings

Because this is a ten‐year retrospective, no one particular finding is dominant. M&A activity and its consequences form a major theme, as does restructuring in general.

Research limitations/implications

It has not been possible to examine more than a very limited number of themes in order to contain the length of the paper.

Practical implications

It is evident that there is no such thing as equilibrium in the mobile sector. Hence the past ten years are to be seen as part of an ongoing narrative, with a few imminent developments highlighted at the end of the paper.

Originality/value

A retrospective of this kind has never previously been attempted.

Citation

Curwen, P. and Whalley, J. (2010), "Mobile operators in the new millennium – retrospect and prospect", info, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 30-45. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636691011040468