I started working for a telco that had a lot of business in emerging (Asian) markets in 2009. Three months after whatsapp was founded. What I do remember from that period was how quickly smart phone prices fell and how rapidly they came to dominate much of the picture in just a few years.
Long enough for the network effect to take root in many countries. IIRC, it was at least 1-2 years in Israel and other countries, and today WhatsApp is ubiquitous there. J2ME apps showed up on a few smartphones too.
The reason I asked is that working in the telco industry gave me a slightly different perspective on time. Nothing happens fast in the telco industry and what would take perhaps a quarter in my previous jobs could easily stretch out for a couple of years (for a number of reasons largely having to do with organizations that do not respond well to changes).
I started working for a telco that had a lot of business in emerging (Asian) markets in 2009. Three months after whatsapp was founded. What I do remember from that period was how quickly smart phone prices fell and how rapidly they came to dominate much of the picture in just a few years.