Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as Qualcomm unveiled a 5G chip for entry-level smartphones, Telefonica explored selling its Colombian operation to Millicom, and analysts assessed the potential of AI gadgets.
Qualcomm packs 5G speeds into entry-level Snapdragon 4 series
What happened: Chip giant Qualcomm aspired to inject 5G into smartphones priced below $99 with a new platform, the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2. The company said the component could land the advanced network tech onto the hands of 2.8 billion smartphone users.
Why it matters: Qualcomm’s staff manager of product marketing Carina Affinito claimed bringing gigabit 5G into low-tier phones will be “monumental,” while principal analyst at J Gold Associates Jack Gold observed “by doing some masterful cost-cutting engineering work, Qualcomm has managed to create a processor that brings not only 5G modems to the entry-level device, but also some impressive, albeit limited, performance to these devices for high quality screens and cameras not commonly found in entry level devices.”
Gold added this potentially paved the way for increased availability of 5G handsets across emerging, “cost-conscious” markets.
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Telefonica in talks with Millicom over Colombia unit sale
What happened: Telefonica entered talks with Millicom over the potential sale of the Spanish group’s 67.5 per cent stake in its Colombian unit, a deal which could be valued at $400 million and lead to a merger with Millicom’s local business TigoUne.
Why it matters: Millicom touted the potential to “rejuvenate Colombia’s telecom sector by forming a robust telecom entity” with a potential buy of Telefonica’s asset part of a wider plan to expand its existing play in the market. If it comes about and gets through regulators, the deal will see Telefonica exit the country after 18 years of operation.
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Analysis: Can AI-native gadgets replace the smartphone?
What happened: Mobile World Live approached Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu and industry specialists for views on the future of AI-native hardware, gadgets which function purely on natural language processing.
Why it matters: First-generation AI devices by newcomers Humane and Rabbit have bold ambitions to re-establish how consumers engage with technology, as they moved to introduce simple gadgets that run on advanced, built-in AI assistant instead of mobile apps.
However, analysts have doubts over the resulting products’ market appeal in a world largely built on an established consumer devices ecosystem. Paolo Pescatore, founder of PP Foresight, stated the existing consumer landscape might still find these emerging devices “intrusive” as they “force them to learn a new way of using a device which they’re not accustomed to”.
