We will have to wait a while for 2009 figures to be compiled, but history suggests that, when the figures are available, U.S. consumer spending on communications will come in about where it always does, at about 2.3 percent of disposable income.
The reason is that, year in and year out, during booms or recessions, that is what U.S. consumers have spent on communications. The composition of spending changes: more for mobile, more for broadband, less for other services. But as a percentage of disposable income, behavior is remarkably consistent.
Gary Kim was cited as a global "Power Mobile Influencer" by Forbes, ranked second in the world for coverage of the mobile business, and as a "top 10" telecom analyst. He is a member of Mensa, the international organization for people with IQs in the top two percent.
The typically highly reliable Knecko Burney, owner of Compass Intelligence, predicts that U.S. spending for nearly every category of small and mid-sized business spending for information technology and communications will be headed north for the next five years. About the only things SMEs will be spending less on are PCs, truly a commodity, as well as personnel. Software, communications, network infrastructure and support all are headed north at about an eight to 10 percent rate over the forecast period.
