The Counterpoint Podcast

At MWC 2026, Qualcomm announced its roadmap to commercialize "AI-native" 6G by 2029, backed by 58 partners including operators, infrastructure providers, device makers and physical AI companies. Neil Shah, VP of Research at Counterpoint, sat down with Durga Malladi, EVP and GM at Qualcomm (Technology Planning, Edge, and Data Center), to discuss how AI and cellular networks are linked. Du...

Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) are increasingly playing a crucial role in automakers’ product evolution. From consolidating hardware to providing regular software updates and the necessary compute power for future applications such as autonomous driving and digital cockpits, the SDV will become a defining enabler. In this latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Murtuza Ali is joined b...

The European regulatory landscape is changing, and a key focus is on sustainability. As part of this, the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires companies to publish regular reports and how their activities impact the environment. Larger companies are already doing this, but from 1st January 2026, smaller companies will also be required to submit reports. For some t...

IoT connectivity is starting to play a crucial role in connecting devices to the internet. From remotely controlling smart home appliances and devices like smart meters to even monitoring industrial machines, IoT applications are proliferating. With the stellar rise of AI, edge computing is enabling even faster decision making.  In this latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, host Mohit Agra...

eSIM technology is seeing rapid growth. It is being adopted by OEMs in premium smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets, freeing up space for sleeker designs. In our previous podcasts, we spoke about the global eSIM market, innovative business models from various companies, eSIM testing, interoperability, and much more.  In this latest episode of ‘The Counterpoint Podcast’, we look at eSIM opportuni...

Generative AI (GenAI) is emerging as a major trend in the tech industry, finding its way into the latest smartphones and PCs. However, on-device AI has been around for a few years now, and there is some confusion regarding the definition of a smartphone with AI and a GenAI smartphone. Counterpoint Research defines a GenAI smartphone as a mobile device that leverages large-scale, pre-trained genera...

5G technology offers a significant leap over 4G, unlocking low-latency, high-upload and high-download speeds in today’s connected era. But as we rely more on connectivity for new and immersive experiences for applications like Extended Reality (XR), connected cars and even generative AI applications, 5G Advanced will push the boundaries of what is possible. 5G Advanced Release 18 is nearing comple...

Continuing our eSIM podcast series, we talk to eSIM Plus, a worldwide virtual phone number and mobile data provider. It uses eSIM to overcome digital boundaries and offer comprehensive solutions. eSIM Plus offers a virtual phone number along with flexible mobile data plans tailored to the specific needs of both individuals and businesses. Addressing both, previous slower-than-expected growth and c...

Continuing our eSIM podcast series, this time we talk to Thales, one of the eSIM provisioning landscape leaders according to Counterpoint’s CORE report. Being in the industry for over 30 years, Thales has played a foundational role in organizations like Trusted Connectivity Alliance (TCA). Thales also deployed the world's first GSMA-certified eSIM activation solution on Google Cloud. Thales a...

The launch of the eSIM-only iPhone 14 in the US in 2022 was a landmark moment in eSIM growth and adoption. In our previous podcast series, we talked to experts about eSIM testing, interoperability, and how component shortages were leading to migration from physical SIM to eSIM. Continuing with the eSIM theme, we talked to Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), one of the leaders in Counterpoint's Global eS...

Qualcomm recently hosted its annual Snapdragon Summit in Maui, Hawaii, where it made several interesting announcements. AI, more specifically on-device generative AI, was a key theme. Qualcomm demonstrated the AI-on-edge capabilities on both smartphone and laptop reference designs, and they were impressive. Key announcements included the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform, and the all-new Snapdrag...

Generative AI like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have disrupted the industry. However, they are still limited to browser windows and smartphone apps, where the processing is done through cloud computing. That is about to change soon as Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered devices will soon be able to run on-device generative AI.  At MWC 2023, Qualcomm showcased Stable Diffusion on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered...

Generative AI has been a hot topic, especially after the launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI. It has even exceeded Metaverse in popularity. From top tech firms like Google, Microsoft and Adobe to chipmakers like Qualcomm, Intel, and NVIDIA, all are integrating generative AI models in their products and services. So, why is generative AI attracting interest from all these companies? While generative AI and...

As more and more carmakers are now introducing electric vehicles (EVs), the battery and its charging and safety have gained the utmost importance. Counterpoint Research’s data shows EV sales crossed 10 million units in 2022. And as more users and fleet owners consider EVs, be it passenger cars, taxis or even electric trucks, the range anxiety and charging infrastructure are where many are held bac...

2022 was a landmark year for the eSIM ecosystem. eSIM adoption has accelerated around the world and is now rapidly moving towards becoming the preferred mode of connectivity. Consumer interest in eSIM is at an all-time high, profile downloads have increased exponentially and newer players are entering the market – all signs of an ecosystem on the rise.  Most premium smartphones now come with an em...

At CES 2023, HERE Technologies unveiled UniMap, an automated mapping technology that allows customers to create their own personal maps and customize location services. It uses AI models to automate the processing of vehicle probes and sensor data to validate speed limits, extract map features like 2D and 3D positioning of road signs and much more. With more vehicles gaining autonomous features, U...

The automotive industry is undergoing a massive digital transformation as the concept of CASE (connected, autonomous, shared, electrical) is gaining traction. And as the number of connected vehicles increases, data logging, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air (OTA) software updates become more important.       With the Deep Connected Platform from Sibros, a Silicon Valley-based company, vehicle m...

As China is opening its borders and quickly getting back to business after over three years of COVID-19 lockdowns and other curbs, we recently conducted an offline customer-sharing meeting in Shenzhen. It was great to see everyone after a long time and share our insights. The developing trends and China’s premium smartphone market outlook were the most discussed topics. The country’s smartphone ma...

This year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona proved to be a great success. At the event, which was held in earnest for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies introduced new products and technologies. With nearly 90,000 visitors, the event managed to regain its former vigor, excitement, and buzz. Networks and operators actively participated in MWC 2023 and introduced new...

An increasing number of smartphone OEMs are now approaching sustainability by removing plastic from packaging, using more recycled materials, and making the devices more repairable. But have you ever wondered what happens to these devices once they reach the end of their useful life? We now live in a circular economy where the focus is on reducing waste by repairing and reusing smartphones and com...

The eSIM has been around for a while now, and thanks to Apple it is now going mainstream. But when it comes to the IoT domain, there are several bottlenecks with respect to deployment, connectivity and migration. A few months ago, we spoke about SIM shortages and eSIM migration with Olivier Leroux from Oasis Smart-SIM. Now we have Olivier back on the show to discuss a new solution called CloudSIM™...

The macro-environment saw a rollercoaster ride in 2022, one where our Counterpoint Macro Index dropped from 106.17 to 82.88 between January and November. Several factors contributed to the decline, such as the war in Ukraine, high inflation , the possibility of a global economic recession , and China’s strict COVID-Zero policies. Besides, interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve not only slowed...

When we formed Counterpoint a decade ago, our passion and mission were to provide the best, in-depth insights, data, and advisory services for the technology industry. We considered mobile connectivity and devices to be pivotal to the massive digital transformation underway. We wanted to help companies make better and more informed decisions to enable them to offer the best experiences to billions...

The COVID-19 -led semiconductor shortage disrupted the supply chains of several industries. The shortage also accelerated lead times for key components such as chipsets, DDIs & PMICs that power all electronics around us. While the auto sector was heavily affected, telecom operators were also struck due to the lack of physical SIM cards as SIM plants shifted their production to higher-value tec...

Southeast Asia, one of the world’s most promising markets, saw its smartphone shipments decline in Q2 2022. But despite this, Thailand’s premium smartphone market grew 22% YoY, confirming a key trend in the overall Southeast Asian market. Other key trends in the region include the growth of gaming and 5G smartphones .     Rising inflation and reduced consumer spending are resulting in a lengthenin...