IT Execs fear that mobile data costs will rise!

Research among 477 IT executives worldwide found that IT departments are concerned about rising mobility costs and demanding challenges as a result of bring your own device (BYOD) strategies. The majority of respondents (57%) thought their mobile data roaming costs would rise in 2013, with 8% saying they will increase more than 25%.

Handset sales fall globally

Global sales of mobile phones fell in 2012 compared with the previous year, according to a report from research company Gartner. It said 1.75 billion handsets had been bought, marking a 1.7% decline.

Gartner’s data suggests weakening demand for feature phones – lower-end devices with limited functionality – led to the drop. It said that in the final three months of the year, 264.4 million such devices had been sold – 19.3% fewer than over the same period in 2011. The data also indicated that in the fourth quarter, Android had powered 69.7% of all smartphones sold, while iOS had accounted for 20.9% of devices.