Where do you go today and not see everyone around you on some form of mobile device: smartphones, tablets, laptops? They’re watching videos through connected TV, they’re gaming, they’re checking their bank balance and they’re using m-payment or m-banking.
In 2013 we saw the exponential rise of m-health: some 100,000 mobile applications dedicated to mobile health are now available to monitor patients and our own wellbeing. Mobile is the ultimate form of personal access, enabling users to connect with other devices. Global mobile connections are expected to reach 8.1 billion in 2018 [1]. We’re in the era of “mobile everywhere” and this is just the beginning!
Since 4G is giving us the same speed and access to the internet on mobile that we have on our desktop, we're now seeing an exponential growth of mobile data traffic. 4G customers tend to use even more data and this trend is likely to continue in a roaming context. Their needs? Higher speed, increased capacity and lower latency. Smart connectivity is indeed increasing the need for flexible, very-high-speed access for all mobile systems.
What’s in it for carriers? With LTE as the enabler for mobile broadband and other value services in the coming years, carriers have a golden opportunity to reap the benefits of the mobile revolution set to continue into the next decade. An opportunity to take a new approach to pricing for data with a promise of quality. Some 275 commercial LTE networks have now been launched worldwide [2] and the number of LTE subscribers is forecast to reach 1.3 billion worldwide by 2017 [3].
Two thirds of telco revenues come from mobile today and this amount is increasing. LTE customers come from high-end segments and require access to services from anywhere via a wide range of devices. Data traffic – which is largely dominant on mobile networks – has doubled annually over recent years as a result. The abundance of data and the globalisation of trade will require rigorous management of international capacity.
This is where carriers will be the guarantors of end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) thanks to the IPX network. Carriers also have a key role to play in inventing new business models to ensure the continuity of investment that is needed to bring users new services.
Carriers will be pivotal players in powering and shaping the future of the mobile landscape with 4G technologies delivering seamless high-quality, instantaneous services, anytime, everywhere. How could we imagine it to be better? Open, international awareness will be the main leverage to anticipate the next era of mobile and open the way to imagining 5G!
[1] OVUM 2013
[2] GSACOM, March 19 2014
[3] IDATE 2013
