Looking of the latest Fierce 15? Click here for 2008's winners...
And the 2006 Fierce 15 winners are...
(click a company to read its profile)
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(Click here to find out what happened to these companies.)
What an exciting year to announce the fourth annual Fierce 15, our list of top emerging companies in the wireless industry for 2006. Subscribers continue to sign up for wireless services in droves, operator financial metrics are healthy and competition is robust despite consolidation as MVNOs flood the market. It's a good time to be in the wireless industry.
And this year, it's all about wireless broadband. Cities across the U.S., and the globe for that matter, are putting out RFPs for mesh WiFi networks like there's no tomorrow. Technologies like WiMAX, TD-CDMA and other flavors of OFDMA are set to make deeper inroads, and operators are looking to accelerate their next-generation plans as they look to higher-end data services like mobile TV. Operators, and especially some of their MVNO counterparts, are taking advantage of their high-speed data networks to push the envelope on all sorts of mobile media services and content deals, which they are banking on to drive growth for the next decade. The vast amount of content is forcing operators to look for solutions to simplify discovery for the user so they can actually find and buy content. The personalization of data services everyone has talked about for years looks like it is finally coming.
Meanwhile, mobile TV may be one of the biggest buzzwords of 2006, but SMS remains the workhorse for data revenues. And the hype surrounding gaming may have slowed down, but operators are filling their decks with new titles. IMS continues its move into the network as operators migrate to converged services, and most telcos are taking a close look at how wireless can solve the last-mile problem into the home. Let's not forget the enterprise market, which is adopting BlackBerrys, Treos and other devices at a swift pace to make employees more efficient.
This year's 2006 FierceWireless Fierce 15 represents this vast array of opportunities. It consists of the 15 privately held startups we believe hold the most promise to help shape the wireless industry and establish a successful presence in this market--the embodiment of fierce. - Lynnette Luna
Click here to find the top wireless companies of 2007 - Fierce 15, 2007
