Prediction: Non-traditional vendors will rise up

Higher speed data networks are ushering in opportunities for alternative vendors beyond the big companies such as Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent. Chinese vendor Huawei saw some significant momentum in 2007 with UMTS deals with the industry's largest operators: Telecom Italia, Vodafone and T-Mobile International. Companies that missed out on the 2G and 3G revolution such as Samsung and Fujitsu are looking to WiMAX to propel them in leadership positions. Look for some aggressive moves from these types of vendors to gain the trust of operators.