Mobile broadband technologies have been making reasonable leaps in performance every few years, but the entire mobile broadband scene has lacked the publicity and general consumer interest that landline broadband services garner. The results of this disparity in interest can be clearly seen by the fact that DSL, cable services, and fiber optic networks have been increasing in performance far faster than wireless technologies, though wired growth did come to a near-halt recently. That halt has since been turned into a long distance sprint thanks to Google’s gigabit broadband initiative and the FCC’s 100/100 by 2020 initiative.
Leading the Charge
The current generation of mobile devices is just coming of age, combining app stores, advanced user interfaces, and the hardware necessary to run meaningful software and OSes that will garner public interest. This combination of factors has lead to a number of consumers discovering that they actually do want to have a decent amount of portable performance, but that the wireless services are not nearly what was expected.
The Competition: Everyone Follow Apple?
With Apple’s 3G equipped iPad and newly announced iPhone OS 4.0 due to be joined by a next-generation iPhone this summer, the competition is starting to take serious notice. Apple certainly did not invent the useful smartphone market, the credit for that might be attributable to Palm, but they have certainly brought a lot of attention to the subject of mobile service and mobile broadband services in particular. While competitors poke fun at Apple’s choice of partners, the fact is that the competition is not mocking Apple’s hardware. Instead, the competition is doing everything it can to imitate Apple’s offerings with minimal differentiation. For example, Android has a massive app store that is noteworthy in that it is not as strictly controlled as Apple’s, and even Microsoft is getting into the act with a non-multitasking portable OS.
Google, Dell, HP, and a slew of second-tier vendors are preparing tablets and oversized phones that are half-tablet and half-smartphone, such as Dell’s upcoming streak. These devices are all looking to carve out a niche that is not dissimilar to that being carved by the iPad, which some may view as a bad thing. There is at least one good side to such imitation: copying mobile broadband offerings will mean that more people will sign up for mobile broadband plans, and get to see firsthand where mobile broadband is going. There may be a few bumps on the road, but more subscribers will hopefully convince executives to approve further mobile broadband network upgrades and deployments.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Coverage is as big of a problem as speed is, and this is one area that all carriers are looking to improve upon during their current next-generation deployments. AT&T in particular is looking to nearly double the amount of towers in certain areas, such as New York City, in order to address service complaints. Additional towns are likely to be serviced, and the overall quality and speed of wireless broadband services should increase. Of course, this also means that the quality of voice transmissions is likely to see a significant improvement as well.
There’s An App For That
App stores are another trend that is quite pleasant to see, though there is certainly a risk of consumers rejecting app stores in general if they are not well regulated. There are already several examples of customers taking their voices to the web over shoddy Android apps, but there are equally angry voices that would complain that Apple’s draconian approval process is anything but user friendly or fair. A middle ground will probably need to be reached by any tablet or portable device looking to make a dent in the market. The good news is that all app stores will allow mobile broadband services to flex their muscles.
Usage Caps
The usage caps placed on mobile broadband services will almost certainly need to be increased before mobile broadband adoption can make it mainstream. The day when mobile broadband access is included as part of the ‘normal’ wireless service plan will have to come after the day when broadband access is no longer capped. That day will have to come after consumers sign up in droves for mobile broadband services, and that is upon us as it was essentially waiting for the devices that are just now hitting store shelves.
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