I doubt any of you are in the office today, so I can pretty much get away with anything in my last column of the year. What a perfect time to release Kevin Fitchard's top wireless predictions for 2005! Exciting, isn't it?

1. Carriers will continue to add subscribers in 2005 --Yup, that's right. I'm making the daring call that 2005 will be another growth year for net adds. There are still a few people out there that don't have cellphones (and maybe some people who just don't have enough cellphones), and I'm thinking you guys may just finally nail them this year.

2. Sprint and Nextel will merge -- Rumor is that these two are contemplating a consolidation move, and even though the ink isn't on paper and the gavel hasn't fallen at the FCC or Justice Department, I predict its going to go through. Remember, you heard it at Telephony's Wireless and Wi-Fi Weekly first...

3. You all are going to get really sick of seeing the acronym "3G" in this newsletter -- I'm already gagging from writing it in the last sentence. But hey, I've got to write about something, and we can't just discard five years of hype. Prepare to be bombarded.

That's it. Now go get ready for your parties. Don't drink and drive, and remember, your parents are the anti-drug.

Contact me at kfitchard@primediabusiness.com. (mailto:kfitchard@primediabusiness.com).