Sales of smartphones have touched reached 101 million at the end of 2010, according to the latest figures from market research company IDC. This is an 87 percent increase from the previous year. This trend represents both an opportunity and a challenge for mobile operators. 

It is in this backdrop that Ericsson feels that the adoption of smartphones drives revenue for operators by opening up many more services and applications to subscribers on the move. However, since smartphone owners are much bigger users of e-mail, social networking and online video services, smartphones put new demands on coverage, battery life and network capacity.