Editor’s Note: With 2013 now upon us, RCR Wireless News has gathered predictions from leading industry analysts and executives on what they expect to see in the new year.

1. Green telecom trend: Mobile operators will start making their operations more environmentally friendly. Powering base stations in developing countries with dirty diesel fuel is not good for the brand – nor the bottom line.

2. A quest to serve the “next billion” mobile customers: They are mainly in emerging markets, with low average revenue per user and non-existent or bad access to the grid, so focus will be on keeping operating expenses low by powering base stations with energy efficent systems and renewables.

3. The global data boom will force mobile operators to evalute their business models. Focus will be on lower operating expenses and taking a step wise approach to investments. Operators cannot easily raise prices for data or predict traffic flows and new services provided.