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Tag: mobile data

  • Mobile Data Plans: Data Makes Up 98 Percent Of Mobile Network Traffic

    Mobile Data Plans: Data Makes Up 98 Percent Of Mobile Network Traffic

    Mobile data plans are expensive. There doesn’t seem to be any good reason for the high prices or data caps either. The mobile carriers get away with it by saying its a scarce commodity, and that narrative can continue thanks to a new study out this week.

    Amdocs released its Annual State of the Radio Access Network Survey this week. The survey looked at 100,000 mobile devices across the busiest networks around the world. The big finding from the survey is that 98 percent of mobile network traffic is now being used to share and consume data. That’s up from 90 percent during the last 12 month period.

    Another interesting finding is that all this data consumption is leading to an increase in dropped calls. The survey found that dropped data and voice calls increased by 121 percent from the previous year with the most stressed locations having a 17 percent dropped call rate.

    Despite all this talk of mobile devices consuming more data, they aren’t consuming that much more high bandwidth data, like video. This particular fact is a little odd as 4G LTE gives users an experience similar to home broadband and it’s certainly capable of streaming video. Of course, it would seem that mobile device owners are aware of data caps and restrict themselves to avoid overages. Speaking of which, the survey also found that 30 percent of customers are frustrated with said data caps.

    With all this in mind, consumers are on the prowl for a data plan that gives them plenty of data while not breaking the bank. T-Mobile is arguably the king in this regard as the mobile carrier has been on a crusade to kill all the things consumers hate about mobile carriers. In 2013, it introduced unlimited 4G data plans. It went even further earlier this week by eliminating overage fees for those not on the carrier’s unlimited data plan.

    Sprint also offers unlimited data, but its plans are a little weirder thanks to its “Framily” plan. The plan allows friends and family members to all jump onto the same shared plan with each device getting 1GB of data per month. For those who want unlimited data, they’ll have to pay an extra $20 per device. It’s not the worst in the world, and the ability to add friends to your plan is a nice touch; but T-Mobile is definitely better when it comes to unlimited data.

    What about the other carriers then? AT&T and Verizon have conceded little ground in the wake of T-Mobile’s un-carrier approach, but the two largest mobile carriers in the country have changed their approach to mobile data just a bit nonetheless. AT&T slashed the price of its family, business and individual plans. While the 2GB data cap remains intact, consumers aren’t paying nearly as much as they once were.

    As for Verizon, the carrier introduced the “More Everything” plan earlier this week to help reduce consumers’ monthly bill. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make data cheaper, but it does reduce the monthly device cost by $10 to $30 per device per month.

    As mobile devices consume more data, consumers are going to be hunting for the best deal. T-Mobile certainly has the most to gain with its consumer friendly approach to data consumption, but AT&T and Verizon can still claim to have the faster networks. As long as that remains the case, the nation’s two largest carriers can continue enforcing data caps. Consumers can only hope that T-Mobile puts enough pressure on them that they drop caps sooner rather than later.

    Image via TMobile/YouTube

  • Mobile Data Plans: The End Of Unlimited Data?

    Mobile Data Plans: The End Of Unlimited Data?

    Some are saying that the “unlimited data” selling point that has long been a part of mobile data plans among top wireless carriers is in its death throes.

    It’s been pointed out that both Verizon Wireless and AT&T have switched to a “tiered system”. Instead of giving customers as much data as they want, they are now hit with higher bills if they use more than the amount data they agreed to pay for.

    Though Sprint and T-Mobile both have unlimited data, industry analysts suspect it won’t be long before these companies follow suit.

    What’s most startling is that customers don’t seem all that concerned. Despite Sprint marketing its unlimited data plan aggressively, especially since Verizon and AT&T have dropped the option, the carrier is reportedly hemorrhaging customers. As for T-Mobile, they still offer unlimited data, but it’s not at the forefront of their advertising campaigns.

    Could it be that customers simply don’t care how much data they’re given? Perhaps. Or it could be that consumers have concerns that have nothing to do with how much data they’re allotted.

    Leading wireless carrier Verizon, while at the pricier end of service, has long marketed to potential customers based on their extensive coverage maps. No matter where you are in the United States, you would be able to get their service and it it would be quality service. Quality itself is the second aspect.

    Even though data is unlimited and cheap…what difference does it make if the service is largely unreliable and unavailable? The image of lower quality service and limited availability is what certain wireless carriers are fighting.

    T-Mobile has seen a drastic increase in subscribers due to marketing directly to consumer concerns and designing plans that address “pain points”.

    In the end, the most popular mobile plan service will likely have nothing to do with unlimited data. As T-Mobile is demonstrating with their “Uncarrier” approach, it may be about which plan does more to specifically address customer concerns.

    Image via Facebook

  • Worldwide LTE Subscriptions Steadily Rising

    Worldwide LTE Subscriptions Steadily Rising

    The smartphone market is continuing to grow, yet most of the world does not yet have access to 4G LTE connections. This is set to change in the near future, however, as emerging nations such as China begin to build out their infrastructure.

    Market research firm ABI Research today released a new report showing that LTE subscriptions worldwide hit 229.7 million last year. This number is expected to rise rapidly within the coming years and the firm is predicting that LTE subscriptions will hit 2 billion by the end of 2019.

    With established markets such as the U.S. beginning to see smartphone and tablet growth slow, growth in LTE subscriptions is being concentrated more in emerging markets. This is particularly true in Asia, where aggressive LTE technology rollouts have combined to add millions of new LTE subscribers in the past year.

    “Among the LTE subscription growth, Asia-Pacific contributes the most with a 49% market share. The second greatest contributor is North America with an 18% share,” comments Marina Lu, research associate at ABI Research. “The large population base in Asia combined with rapid LTE network deployment and cost-competitive smartphones has accelerated the remarkable subscriber adoption.”

    ABI’s report also predicts that several LTE-related technologies will grow along with the overall industry. LTE-Advanced is expected to hit 750 million subscribers by the year 2019 and the voice over LTE industry is expected to take off as network coverage expands. Mobile revenue is predicted to grow since LTE subscribers spend more on average.

  • SanDisk Makes Mobile Data Management More Convenient

    SanDisk Makes Mobile Data Management More Convenient

    Generally speaking, nobody is ever going to say it’s hard to move content between a smartphone and a PC. Every mobile device comes with a USB cable that can be plugged into your PC for easy transfer. While it may be easy, it can sometimes be inconvenient thanks to the USB cable being plugged into a wall outlet halfway across the room. For those moments, SanDisk is here with a convenient solution.

    SanDisk announced today that it wants to make file transfers between mobile device and PCs more convenient with the SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive. The little flash drive features a USB 2.0 connector on one end and a micro-USB on the other. It comes in sizes ranging from 16 to 64GB and is compatible with all mobile devices that support USB on-the-go.

    “The SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive provides a simple, convenient way to offload and backup files from smartphones and tablets – with the peace of mind that comes with the trusted SanDisk brand,” said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. “This new drive integrates with SanDisk’s Memory Zone app to make freeing up space on mobile devices simpler than ever, improving the user experience.”

    Speaking of Memory Zone, SanDisk’s Android app allows you to access your smartphone’s internal and SD-card based memory for easy transfer and removal. Obviously, it will also support the Ultra Dual USB Drive when it comes to moving content from your phone to SanDisk’s newest flash drive.

    The SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive is now available in price ranges from $19.99 to $49.99.

    Image via SanDisk/Business Wire

  • Mobile Data Revenue Hit New Highs in 2013

    Mobile Data Revenue Hit New Highs in 2013

    Smartphone manufacturers may be seeing their sales growth slow in established western markets, but the companies providing mobile data access on the those devices are still seeing their revenues soar.

    Market research firm ABI Research today released a report estimating that mobile internet service revenue rose over 23% worldwide in 2013, up to nearly $300 billion. Smartphones are becoming more ubiquitous, making up 27.5% of consumer mobile data subscriptions last year – a 6.6% increase from that seen in 2012. Overall, mobile data broadband subscriptions rose nearly 29% in 2013.

    “The region that will contribute the most to the increase in mobile Internet service revenue is North America, despite the maturity of the North American market and that only 5.5% of global cellular subscriptions are based there,” said Ying Kang Tan, a research associate at ABI. “Higher smartphone penetration and increased mobile data consumption have helped the region to buck the declining ARPU trend. We expect ARPU in the region to rise in 2014 before declining again due to competition and lower revenue generating connections subscribing to mobile broadband.”

    As potential new mobile customers begin to dry up in the U.S., mobile providers in the country are now scrambling to find new sources of revenue growth. T-Mobile is hoping to buy customers away from other carriers with its consumer-friendly “Uncarrier” initiatives. AT&T will soon begin charging consumers and content providers for data flowing on its 4G network through its “Sponsored Data” program, but only if the company manages to placate the FCC and net neutrality advocates.

  • Automakers, Carriers to Push Vehicle Wi-Fi in Coming Years

    AT&T this week at CES made two vehicle-related announcements, revealing that it would be providing wireless data access for both Tesla and Audi vehicles in the near future. The plan is to provide data to drivers that can be used for in-dash apps and entertainment, as well as allow consumers to use the connection as a Wi-Fi hotspot for passenger devices.

    Other deals of this nature have already been announced and even more are sure to follow in the coming months as vehicle manufacturers begin to make their products more connected than ever. With that in mind, market research firm ABI Research this week predicted that in-car LTE Wi-Fi hotspot solutions will be part of a majority of vehicles sold in North America by 2019.

    ABI believes that in-vehicle Wi-Fi will mostly be used for entertainment such as streaming audio or streaming video for back-seat screens. The firm, much like AT&T, envisions passengers playing online games and browsing social networks while riding along.

    Though most cars could have Wi-Fi technology in just a few years, that does not mean that most new car buyers will sign up for the data plan required to make use of it. This could prove a stumbling block to in-car entertainment ventures as the compete directly with tablets and smartphones that have their own data plans and Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities.

    “Although some early adopters and premium customers might be willing to pay an extra $15 to $30 per month for the convenience of built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, most drivers will not be willing to pay for an automotive wireless plan on top of home broadband and mobile phone subscriptions,” said Gareth Owen, principal analyst at ABI Research. “If the in-car Wi-Fi market is to develop, car OEMs will have to work with mobile operators to develop new initiatives such as the introduction of shared data plans which would enable consumers to add cars to existing tariff plans.”

  • AT&T To Provide Wireless Data For Tesla and Audi Vehicles

    AT&T To Provide Wireless Data For Tesla and Audi Vehicles

    AT&T this week announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Tesla to provide wireless data for Tesla vehicles. The deal covers current Tesla vehicles such as the Model S as well as future Tesla vehicles.

    Tesla is a U.S. automaker known for its premium-priced electric vehicles.

    According to AT&T it will be providing data connectivity for many different Tesla systems, such as remote engine diagnostics, telematics, and (of course) in-dash entertainment options such as streaming radio and other apps.

    “Tesla’s goal has always been to catalyze the market for electric vehicles for all consumers while providing an exceptional driving experience,” said Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. “AT&T’s advanced and reliable wireless connectivity will help Tesla continue to deliver a cutting-edge ownership experience.”

    In addition to Tesla, AT&T announced this week that it will also be offering to add Audi vehicles to its customers’ wireless plans. AT&T customers will soon be able to make Audi’s new A3 sedans to their Mobile Share data plans.

    Audi’s 2015 A3 vehicles will come equipped with 4G LTE capabilities and Audi has announced that it will soon roll out 4G to all of its vehicles. According to the car company, consumers will be able to use AT&T’s data to access “Audi connect,” which includes navigation, text-to-speech news headlines, and social media alerts. Consumers will also be able to use the connection as a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing up to eight devices to connect through the car’s 4G data.

  • FCC To Vote On Whether Wireless Carriers Can Sell Your Private Information

    FCC To Vote On Whether Wireless Carriers Can Sell Your Private Information

    Did you know that pretty much everything you do on your smartphone, feature phone or cellphone is logged at your carrier? Did you also know that this information is routinely sold to advertisers without your consent? Well, the FCC is saying enough is enough.

    The Hill reports that the FCC plans to hold a vote in late June on wireless carrier regulations that would require said carriers to protect customer privacy. What would those protections entail? Simply put, wireless carriers would not be able to share your information with third parties unless you give them your permission to do so.

    Acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn says the vote is all about protecting private mobile data from advertisers and their ilk:

    “Millions of wireless consumers must have confidence that personal information about calls will remain secure even if that information is stored on a mobile device. This ruling makes clear that wireless carriers who direct or cause information to be stored in this way have a responsibility to provide safeguards, and I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this effort.”

    As you can imagine, wireless carriers don’t like the idea of mandatory regulations. They argue that the FCC should just present voluntary guidelines, and then stay out of their business. They even go so far as to say that mandatory regulations “would actually harm consumers by hamstringing providers in their ability to improve service quality, especially in these times of wireless spectrum capacity constraints.”

    In their defense, there is some truth in that statement. The software carriers use to collect all your personal information is also used to collect data on network performance. It does play a rather significant role in maintaining network coverage in times of heavy congestion.

    Still, rules are better than no rules. Besides, the proposed FCC regulations fall in line with what some carriers already do. Verizon asks for its customers’ permission to sell their mobile data to advertisers in exchange for coupons. Some may not think that’s a fair deal, but that’s what the FCC hopes to make a standard practice. It just wants to require all carriers to simply ask permission first. Is that a hard thing to do?

  • Smartphones & Tablets to Stay in Hot Demand Beyond 2017

    No doubt smartphones and tablet computers are some of the hottest selling products out there today. Some people would part with their automobile before they parted ways with their mobile device. It’s more than a passing trend, it’s part of a new lifestyle and it’s all about access to information and resources.

    Few can deny that Apple is at the core of this revolution with innovative devices like the iPhone and iPad. The United States and the rest of the world is obsessed with mobile devices like no other machines that have come before them.

    While the market seems to be saturated with competitors for the iPad and iPhone, the overall trends suggests there’s room for all of these devices. Global Information, Inc. sees the rising importance of mobile devices and mobile data usage as a critical component of modern society and they are tracking our habits and documenting the results in five important new reports.

    Here’s what they say about the importance of these documents:

    Understanding the growth curves of key markets is absolutely critical for players in this space. The United States leads the global adoption curve and represents the most mature market for smartphones. The state of the market in the US can be used to analyze likely endgame scenarios and outcomes as other markets around the globe mature. TechSci Research’s US smartphone market forecast to 2017 offers the insight companies, governments, and developers will need to stay ahead of this incredibly fast-moving industry.

    The UK, in contrast, has lagged slightly behind the US market in smartphone uptake, which leads TechSci to forecast remarkable growth and penetration in their UK smartphone market forecast through 2017. After an astounding 300% uptake over the past decade, the UK market is still projected to grow at a CAGR of over 20% through 2017, pushing smartphones from 50% up to 80% of all mobile phones, and driving the market value to over $4.3 billion.

    Canada’s growth has been slower, but their market is experiencing some upheaval as native son RIM witnesses the end of its long history of dominance. Even so, the Canadian smartphone market forecast through 2017 predicts a healthy CAGR of 13%, with Apple outpacing both RIM and Samsung over that time period.

    Australia, like the UK, has also witnessed tremendous growth tripling the size of the smartphone market over the last 4 years, and while the Australian smartphone market forecast through 2017 is the slowest of these four – at a CAGR of 10% over 5 years – the market is still expected to reach over $3.72 billion (US) in that period.

    Similar to the launch of its revolutionary iPhone product, Apple’s iPad completely reshaped the tablet PC market landscape on a global scale by selling tens of million units in just the first year after its launch. This complete upending of the tablet PC market can be credited to the fact that consumers realized that a gadget handier than a laptop, more powerful than a netbook, and more comfortable to use than a smart phone could actually exist. In 2011, the global tablet PC market reached $35.3 billion, and is expected to continue to grow rapidly into 2016. The tablet market in the US alone is anticipated to grow at the CAGR of around 10.8%, especially following wide acceptance and increased demand from the enterprise sector.

    TechSci’s “United States Tablet PC’s Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2016” forecasts phenomenal growth in the US tablet PC market. Current trends and market acceptance of the tablet is rising, which will lead to significant growth in the short term. Major drivers for the tablet market will be ease of use, increased battery life, improved mobility, enhanced multitasking, instant on/off capability, and the incredible and increasing breadth and scope of software applications for various platforms.

    The research indicates these mobile device trends will dominate society well into the future, so understanding them and harnessing the power that information brings is critical to the growth of business, government, and most other institutions.

    Click on any of the individual links above to get a quick overview on what is covered in research, and contact Global Information Inc. for more information on how to receive the full reports.

  • Verizon 4G LTE Launching In More Cities This Month

    Who has the better 4G LTE coverage – Verizon or AT&T? Both companies will tell you a different story and sling mud at their competitors. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the fact that a lot of the nation is still on plain ol’ 4G, or even worse 3G. Verizon is adding more cities to its arsenal of 4G LTE enabled areas come this month to perhaps gain more of a lead over AT&T.

    Verizon has announced that its bringing 4G LTE to more cities over the coming weeks while expanding its current offerings in states that are already enjoying the increased speeds. From the sheer number of cities alone, it’s a massive undertaking on the part of Verizon.

    South Carolina was the latest state to be announced with the cities of Greenwood and Anderson both getting 4G LTE on June 21. Wyoming is getting some love as well with the city of Gillette getting faster wireless speeds. The cities of Jacksonville, Burlington and New Bern, North Carolina can expect a launch on June 21 as well. Bedford and Sharon, Pennsylvania will be getting 4G LTE as well. Billerica, Massachusetts and Lake of The Ozarks, Missouri round out the list.

    Verizon is also expanding its current coverage in the following states: Florida, Idaho, Oregon, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Missouri. Most states can expect it to be a proper expansion with numerous communities and cities throughout the state getting faster mobile speeds.

    4G LTE is great and all, but recent studies have shown that people just aren’t using mobile data as much anymore. Consumers agree that wi-fi is the way to go. While I applaud Verizon on bringing 4G LTE to more markets, they should also be focusing on bringing Wi-Fi to more public places. A recent collaboration between ISPs is looking to bring free Wi-Fi to all of their customers. Unfortunately, Verizon wasn’t on that list, but it’s never too late to bring free Wi-Fi to your customers, right?

  • Thomson Reuters Acquires Apsmart

    Thomson Reuters Acquires Apsmart

    This morning, Thomson Reuters announced that have definitive plans to acquire cutting-edge mobile platform, Apsmart, out of London. Apsmart is well known for their application designs on iOS and Android systems. They were actually responsible for the first Shazam app. on the iPhone.

    Here’s what Reuters had to say about the acquisition:

    Mobile is an increasingly significant way in which professionals work and consume information. The acquisition of Apsmart will enhance Thomson Reuters mobile product creation, design and development, allowing the company to deliver even more expert-enriched content, news and solutions through the interfaces that professionals want on the mobile devices they use.

    Robert Schukai, global head of mobile technology at Thomson Reuters comments on the acquisition:

    “This new team brings strong experience in end–to–end mobile development capabilities from user experience and design through to product realization and platform services,”

    “As we move forward, we will have a greater ability to develop foundational mobile capabilities that build significant brand value in our mobile product portfolio.”

    Rahul Powar, new head of mobile application development at Thomson Reuters also comments on the acquisition of Apsmart:

    “The team at Apsmart is excited about the opportunity to apply our diverse mix of skills to the large Thomson Reuters customer base. We look forward to helping drive the strategy and creation of significant new experiences in mobile across the organization,”

    The terms of the agreement have yet to be disclosed, and there is no mention of a tentative closing date. Apsmart is majority owned by DN Capital, a digital media investment firm.