“The exploding use of mobile devices promises to be the fastest-growing – and possibly biggest technological trend ever.”

A bold statement, for sure – one that I made back in March. And I’m standing by it.

Now my job is to convince you of this, too. How?

Well, since I’m not really a fan of brainwashing, I’ll hit you with some compelling statistics to prove my point.

[ad#Google Adsense 336×280-IA]So let’s get to it…

Growth Now… and Growth “Forever”

Ever heard of a “forever growth trend?”

As the phrase suggests, they’re trends that promise to continue, no matter what happens in the world or economy. In my experience, investing in such trends ultimately proves profitable, and with concerns over the economic recovery resurfacing, now seems like a fitting time to act on this advice.

And I can’t think of a better example of a “forever growth trend” than the mobile industry.

10 Reasons Why This Industry is Set for a Hyper Growth Spurt

Here are 10 statistics that demonstrate precisely how this tech trend is set for enormous growth over the coming years. For example…

~ Mobile Stat #1: A Market of Seven Billion People
Over the next five years, mobile device subscriptions are expected to hit 7.1 billion, according to Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) – enough for every man, woman and child on Earth.

~ Mobile Stat #2: Billions Bigger Than the PC Boom
By 2020, Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) predicts that the number of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, car electronics, etc.) could easily top 10 billion units. By comparison, the personal computer boom of the 1990s only sold hundreds of millions of units.

~Mobile Stat #3: Data Overload
Mobile data traffic nearly tripled in 2010. Yet, Cisco expects it to increase another 26-fold by 2015, equal to a compound annual growth rate of 92%.

~ Mobile Stat #4: A Rare Trillion-Dollar Industry
Total annual sales for all mobile-related devices and services are set to top $1 trillion. That’s an incredible milestone, since only three other industries in the history of the world have ever pulled off that feat. (In case you’re wondering, those other trillion-dollar industries are automobiles, food and defense.)

~ Mobile Stat #5: The Need for Speed
The average mobile network connection speed of 215 kilobytes per second in 2010 is expected to increase 10-fold to exceed 2.2 megabits per second in 2015. However, that’s not possible if companies don’t create new technologies to increase connection speeds. (Hint: investment opportunity.)

~ Mobile Stat #6: The Death of the Desktop PC and Rise of the Mobile Device (Part 1)
The number of people using their mobile devices as the only way to access the internet is expected to increase 56-fold from 14 million last year to 788 million by the end of 2015.

~ Mobile Stat #7: The Death of the Desktop PC and Rise of the Mobile Device (Part 2)
By the end of next year, Morgan Stanley predicts annual shipments of smartphones will exceed annual shipments of personal computers.

~ Mobile Stat #8: Truly Indispensable
A whopping 97% of Americans carry their phones at all times. Moreover, a recent Kelton Research survey reveals that 31% of people would rather give up sex for a year instead of their phones. Now that’s indispensable!

~ Mobile Stat #9: Advertising Follows Eyeballs
Advertising delivered directly to mobile devices is set to shoot from a nascent $400 million market to over $2.5 billion by the end of 2013. But the growth won’t stop there, as more and more of the $67 billion spent annually on global internet advertising is expected to migrate to mobile devices.

~Mobile Stat #10: Who Needs Electricity Anyway?
Within a matter of years, over 40 countries will have more people with mobile network access than with access to electricity. That’s not a typo. People are going to be off the electricity grid, but on the internet. Lots of them, in fact. About 138 million by 2015, based on Cisco’s estimates.

Don’t Be Left Behind

[ad#article-bottom]In the end, I think Morgan Stanley’s Mary Meeker puts it best: “Mobile is ramping up faster than desktop internet did and will be bigger than most people think.”

Please don’t be one of them. The mobile revolution promises to be the biggest technological trend of our lifetimes.

Bigger than the personal computer revolution of the 1990s. Bigger than the desktop internet revolution of the early 2000s. Even bigger than the invention of the automobile.

As such, I’m convinced that the profit opportunities are significant. And in a future column, I’ll share some of my favorite ways to play this mega-trend. So stay tuned.

Ahead of the tape,

— Louis Basenese

[ad#jack p.s.]

Source:  Wall Street Daily