Mobile video: Disappointment or delight?

Posted on September 24, 2015

As video offerings become increasingly important to their proposition, mobile operators need to be sure they have the connectivity resources in place to enable their customers to access video content at all times, wherever they go. Their networks are going to need some complementary support.

Are mobile operators cutting the mustard?

Posted on July 16, 2015

Today, millions of smartphone users on post-paid tariffs pay for a bundle of mobile data every month, some of which they don’t consume. At the end of the billing cycle the unused allowance, like mustard on a plate, is simply wiped away.

Why Wait Five Long Years for 2020 Vision?

Posted on June 8, 2015

SK Telecom has identified five areas in which 5G must deliver marked improvements over the current smartphone connectivity experience. But operators need to act now to improve that experience, and Connectivity First represents the opportunity to introduce some of the ideas behind 5G today.

First Words: The New Language of Wireless Marketing

Posted on April 16, 2015

Control language and you can maintain order. This observation was made by George Orwell in his cautionary novel 1984 — a year in which, as it happened in reality, the first sale of a handheld mobile phone to a US consumer was made. The corollary to this theory (and Big Brother’s great fear) is that, if you free language, you will create an environment in which change becomes inevitable. More than 30 years since that first Motorola DynaTAC was snapped up for almost $4,000 (closer to $10,000 in today’s money) Orwell’s insight is being neatly illustrated in the US mobile market. The language being used to speak to the end user is evolving thanks to a challenge being mounted against incumbent operators by a wave of newcomers keen to change the conversation. Historically, incumbent mobile operators have relied heavily on the network in their messaging, in particular like-for-like network comparisons. By keeping the discussion centred on their networks they ensured users could only decide on their service provider by comparing the things that the operators wanted them to compare. It made sense in a world where the service and the network were one and the same. It remains a favoured…

Wi-Fi Calling for Change

Posted on April 13, 2015

By giving customers Wi-Fi calling capabilities mobile operators are showing they understand that a truly comprehensive wireless connectivity service can only be created through the integration of cellular and Wi-Fi access.