These five trends will be of strategic importance to most players in the mobile communication industry in 2011, including smartphone and tablet computing OEMs, semiconductor suppliers, and intellectual property professionals, as well as companies in related sectors like the medical devices space.

"We all know that the pace of innovation in the mobile industry is rapid and the competition is fierce. Nobody can afford to rest on their laurels," said Jeff Brown, vice president of business intelligence at UBM TechInsights. "But when we compound these factors with technology convergence, industry consolidation, increased intellectual property assertion and the rise of China as an emerging global powerhouse, we have a formula that could change the playing field in the global mobile ecosystem."

UBM TechInsights' top five predictions for the mobile industry are:

1. Patent assertion and litigation will continue, along with the cost of settlements
2. China will shift from emulation to innovation, challenging the current market leaders.
3. Smartphones will change the face of the medical devices industry.
4. The tablet market will rapidly consolidate around two platforms, leaving some big players in the dust.
5. Advances in semiconductor integration and packaging will fuel unprecedented mobile product performance in compact form factors.

"These trends show how interconnected the technology, marketing and intellectual property aspects of the mobile industry have become," said David Carey, vice president of technical intelligence at UBM TechInsights. "Everyone from product designers and marketers to intellectual property staff must stay up-to-date on the rapid evolution of the industry and its underlying technologies."

For a deeper analysis of these trends, click here:
www.ubmtechinsights.com.