The form-factor and function of the next big mobile device is "irrelevant", according to an industry expert.

Rakesh Mahajen, global director of mobility at BT Global Services, said that any discussion about future mobile devices would be "a wonderful conversation" but is ultimately pointless.

"Our friends and family all ask what the next cool device will be, the next iPhone, the next UMPC, whatever," he said during a keynote speech at NetEvents in Barcelona.

"It is a fascinating question. But, for enterprise mobility, it is a ridiculous question. The device itself is irrelevant. It is what customers want to do that matters."

However, Mahajen acknowledged that there is significant consumer interest in the latest must-have devices.

"There is the personal side where the handset is quite important, but from an enterprise perspective that is a secondary question," he said.

"The reason why the CIO and the CFO will pay for it, aside from the fact that the CEO wants something really cool, is because it's going to deliver value to the business."

Mahajen maintained that it is impossible to "walk up with an iPhone" and try and conduct business with a customer.

"You need something that's a bit bigger, that enables security, their expectation of who the customer is, to be put together," he said.

"So we come back to what that device will look like. Who cares? It's about the applications and what people want to use and what they will pay for."