rssmobility

Five Trends to Watch in Endpoint Management in 2026

Phil Hochmuth — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Perspective outlines five key developments in endpoint device management that will shape the market in 2026, including the decoupling of OS-specific management planes, the rise of life-cycle intelligence, outcome-based management models, the need to manage invisible endpoints, and the emergence of management-optional devices.

"As endpoint estates grow in diversity and AI capabilities, technology suppliers must provide data-driven, integrated, and risk-aware endpoint device management platforms that meet evolving operational, security, and digital employee experience requirements," says Phil Hochmuth, program vice president, Endpoint Device Management and Enterprise Mobility at IDC.

What Is the Interest in a Foldable iPhone in the United States?

Ramon T. Llamas — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey Spotlight answers the following question: If Apple made a foldable iPhone, would you buy it?

In the spring of 2025, IDC polled 2,034 consumers in the United States about the likelihood of purchasing a foldable smartphone from Apple. Participants were given simple yes/no/maybe/I don't know options to gauge demand. This follows similar surveys from previous years where we asked the same question, allowing us to track patterns and changes over time.

"The appetite for foldable smartphones has been slowly growing in the United States despite Apple's noticeable absence from it. Meanwhile, rumors of such a device have been swirling for the past several years, and IDC believes that a launch will happen in 2026," said Ramon T. Llamas, research director with IDC's Mobile Phones team. "In the meantime, interest in such a device remains a mixed bag, at best. Without insight into price and feature set, most respondents have taken a wait-and-see approach. This is where Apple can lean into the capabilities that differentiate a foldable iPhone from its slab-style iPhones, highlighting productivity and creativity that have been the hallmark of other foldable smartphones."

Survey Insights: Satellite D2D Connectivity Demand Among Consumers and Enterprises

Jason Leigh, Pahul Singh — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey analyzes insights from two recent surveys for satellite D2D connectivity demand among consumers and enterprises. Mobile operators are rushing to tout their partnerships with low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers to provide connectivity to mobile devices — referred to as direct to device (D2D) or direct to cellular (D2C) — to fill coverage gaps and provide resiliency to business operations. While consumers and business IT decision-makers are largely aware of these initiatives, understanding of the current state of functionality varies significantly, as does the appetite for investing in D2D connectivity. IDC analyzed the results of two recent surveys (IDC's U.S. Consumer Communications and Mobile Services Survey, 2025, and IDC's North American Enterprise 5G, IoT, and Private 4G/5G Networks Survey, 2025) to gauge the appetite for satellite-based connectivity and to separate satellite hype from reality.

How Are Telcos Using APIs to Create New Revenue Streams and Build Ecosystems That Accelerate Commercialization of Differentiated Network Services

Peter Chahal — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey Spotlight provides key findings from IDC's 2025 Global Telecom Service Providers' Digital Transformation (DX) Plans and Strategies Survey, which gathered input from 130 telecom providers worldwide. Respondents represent organizations across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia/Pacific regions. The results highlight an accelerating focus on modernizing communications infrastructure, IT systems, and operational processes to enhance agility and enable the delivery of advanced services to both enterprise and consumer segments. Among the top transformation priorities identified is the adoption of APIs, which is emerging as a critical driver influencing technology investment decisions and shaping long-term competitiveness for telecom providers.

Canadian Business and Consumer Connected Vehicles Survey, 2025

Praveen Datta — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

IDC Canada surveyed over 360 Canadian businesses in July 2025, across all regions, industries, and business sizes, to capture business sentiment on communications spending. IDC Canada's consumer research group conducted its fourth quarterly survey in December 2025, surveying 2,001 Canadian consumers, to understand the current and future adoption plans for a variety of consumer communications services and devices. Both of these surveys had connectivity for connected vehicles as an area of focused inquiry.

This presentation examines Canadian business adoption of connectivity for connected vehicles by business size, region, and industry. It also provides insight on the average number of connected vehicles per business by business size, region, and industry, as well as average monthly spend on connectivity for connected vehicles across organizations.

It also examines Canadian consumer adoption of cellular/Wi-Fi connectivity in vehicles and whether such connectivity is provided directly by wireless providers, directly via vehicle manufacturer's service, or indirectly with a smartphone hotspot. In addition, it provides insight on consumer spend and desired spend on vehicle connectivity, and provides insights into the adoption and intention to adopt new automotive technologies.

There is a considerable volume of data from our surveys beyond what is provided in this presentation, and more detailed cross-tabs can also be provided. We encourage you to contact your IDC account representative if you have any specific questions about a market or segment of interest.

Top 5 Predictions for the Worldwide Smartphone Market: 2026

Ramon T. Llamas, Jitesh Ubrani, Ramazan Yavuz, Frederick Stanbrell — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Perspective lists five predictions for the worldwide smartphone market in 2026, ranging from foldables and refurbished smartphones to anticipated price increases, the use of AI, and AI smart glasses.

"Although smartphone shipment volumes are expected to stay mostly flat in 2026, underpinning the market are trends that will affect its continued evolution," said Ramon T. Llamas, research director with IDC's Mobile Phones team. "Generative AI still takes center stage and recent concerns around memory will affect pricing, while Apple's foray into foldables will shine a brighter light on foldables as a whole. Meanwhile, the market for refurbished devices will take another step forward, and AI smart glasses will gain salience as the next wearable to accompany smartphones. The sum total of this: a smartphone market adapting to market realities."

1Q25 Financial Results Comparison and Analysis of Europe's Top 5 Telcos

Masarra Mohamed — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Presentation report compares and analyzes 1Q25 results — January to March this year — of Europe's top 5 telcos: BT, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone. The main goal of this initiative is to identify which telcos are the most successful in transforming their monetization strategies. We compare these companies' revenue performance, development of their geographical markets and strategic growth portfolios, and major announcements and events during the period.

The financial data has been adjusted for consistency and comparability:

All figures have been converted to USD on a constant currency basis at IDC's 1Q25 rate (EUR/USD 0.95036, GBP/USD 0.79429).
Reporting periods have been aligned with calendar year (CY). For Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Telefónica, this aligns with their financial year (FY).
Results for BT and Vodafone have been broken down by quarter — 1Q25 matches their 4Q25 reported quarterly results.

European Telecommunications Capex Market Forecast, 2025–2029

Bruno Teyton — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Forecast provides a five-year forecast for telecom operators’ investments in Europe and delivers insights into the drivers and inhibitors of growth.

Telecom operators in Europe will decrease their investments at a 2.7% CAGR over 2024-2029 after a capex peak in 2023. Fixed broadband and 5G population coverage have already achieved high penetration, and additional capex will be needed to fill the gap in unserved areas and lagging countries. At the end of the forecast period, telecom operators will enter a new investment cycle to upgrade their 5G networks and prepare for 6G.

What Is the Interest in Tri-Fold Smartphones in the United States?

Ramon T. Llamas — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey Spotlight examines the consumer interest in tri-fold smartphones in the United States. In the Spring of 2025, IDC polled 2,034 consumers in the United States about the likelihood of purchasing a tri-fold smartphone (a smartphone with three connected sections that, when unfolded, form a larger display). Such a device had not yet been launched in the United States, and we assumed that a tri-fold smartphone's price would be at $1,999 or higher. Furthermore, we were able to segment our survey respondents into several groups: all respondents, current foldable smartphone owners, smartphone owners who have never owned a foldable smartphone and never will, and smartphone owners who have never owned a foldable but would consider buying one in the future.

"Now that foldable smartphones have established themselves in the U.S. smartphone market, branching out into new products is the next logical step. That includes tri-fold smartphones," said Ramon T. Llamas, research director with IDC's Mobile Phones team. "Initial reaction to these devices has met with some skepticism, with 53.8% of respondents saying that they will definitely not purchase one, leaving vendors in an uphill battle to evangelize the value of tri-fold smartphones. To do this, vendors should lean into the tri-fold form factor, the ability to be more productive, and the potential cost savings compared with owning multiple devices."

IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Gaming Tracker Taxonomy, 2025

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

This IDC study provides a comprehensive overview of and definitions for gaming desktop, notebook and monitors. The definitions provided in this document represent the scope of IDC's Gaming Tracker hardware research.

This taxonomy outlines market segmentations and measurement methodologies for the gaming industry, including classification by technology, company, geography, and revenue metrics.

"IDC's worldwide gaming tracker taxonomy presents a standardized and detailed framework of the gaming market," said Loren Loverde, program vice president, IDC's Worldwide Gaming Tracker. "The taxonomy document serves as a guideline to better understand and use IDC's gaming research."