Amitabh Sharma, Features Coordinator

THE MOBILE revolution has redefined the way we communicate. This boom has also opened new and exciting opportunities for the incumbents.

The telecom industry is ringing a new high, with the mobile subscriber base steadily coming close to the fixed line subscriber base, the prospects in the industry are looking up.

Telecom is the happening thing in the technology sector. EDGE/UMTS/WCDMA arethe key emerging technologies, coupled by multimedia applications and Bluetooth enabled mobiles that are becoming popular, and are propelling the current trends in the design of mobile equipment.

The career prospect in telecommunications has also boomed with the entry of international players.

Industry projections on the telecom sector indicate that the employment opportunities in the sector is set to see a phenomenal growth owing to thrust in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Jamaica is already pushing to market itself as a preferred ICT destination, riding on the outsourcing wave.

Opportunities

The opportunities for skilled engineers with knowledge of mobile networks, protocols and applications are growing. With technology evolving rapidly every second, there is no dearth of job openings for the aspiring professional. For people aspiring to enter the technical side of telecom, a degree in electronics and communication engineering is essential.

Electronics is the base for power electronics, computers, communication or instrumentation. An electronics professional understands hardware well and also the capability of the hardware.

Skill sets

The basic skills an electronic engineer must have are strong mathematical and analytical skills, basic curiosity (how does the device work) and the desire to learn and know more about changing technologies.

The ability to motivate and apply oneself is important as well. The core skills required in the mobile technology domain are networking, C/C++ programming, knowledge of mobile application platforms like Symbian/ BREW/J2ME.

Convergence of technology and applications in telecom has resulted in cost-effective communications and this trend is only set to increase. There are abundant employment opportunities in both the private and public sector industries. All telephone-related services, computer-related communications services like file transfer in a company, Local Area Networking (LAN)/Wide Area Networking (WAN), metropolitan networking, broadcasting services, defence services (radar signalling and logistics), satellite communication, wireless communications, broadband Internet communications and remote sensing are areas where one could find employment.

If you have a knack for research, then you could join a telecom company in their product development division. If you are good programmer you could work with a software company that develops mobile or wireless applications.

There are also opportunities to set up one's own enterprise. If you are an electronics engineer, you could look into setting up an authorised service centre for a mobile phone company. With competition hotting up on the handset front, companies are strategising to reach the masses in a big way by investing their resources on building up a strong distribution network. This is now opening more avenues for a franchise model.

Avenues for non-techies

For those of you who are not engineers, there are emerging opportunities that are up for takes. With growing competition and better network coverage, service providers are also recruiting marketing professionals to increase their customer base.

The focus on customer care for service providers has also spurred the demand for quality customer care professionals. Marketing and distribution of handsets is among the opportunities that exist in the industry.

amitabh.sharma@gleanerjm.com