T-Mobile is the mobile broadband topper
Mobile broadband service provider, T-Mobile, has emerged winner in a poll which had been designed to identify the mobile broadband service provider which was the highest rated in the country.
The survey was created by YouGoy and questioned more than 2 thousand mobile broadband users a number of questions which had been designed with a high degree of care to measure particular features such as ease of use and installation.
T-Mobile emerged trumps by topping it in four different categories, which included billing and customer satisfaction.
These ratings meant that T-Mobile got the highest score as a whole and enabled T-Mobile to emerge as the winner for the third consecutive quarter.
T-Mobile, in a statement, said that these results were ample proof of the commitment that the network has toward providing its customer with a more affordable and easier to use service.
Source - techwatch.co.uk
Subscriptions to mobile broadband to hit 3 billion in 5 years
Ericsson’s new CEO says that there will be 7 billion mobile subscribers by 2015 and this should increase to 50 billion connections by 2020.
The telecom landscape will change massively during the upcoming years and on Monday, the CFO and CEO – elect, Hans Vestberg, shared the vision he had of the industry for the next couple of years and for as far ahead as 2050.
At the Broadband World Forum Europe in Paris, Vestberg said that they would have nearly 3 billion mobile broadband subscribers. There are currently more than 4 billion users of mobiles in the world and that, in 5 years, the forecasts are for more than 7 billion, also adding that this figure will naturally include people who have more than a SIM.
It is amazing what is ahead of us, he said.
He added that broadband will move from installation phase to the deployment phase, comparing broadband’s development to coal, steam and iron, which brought about steel and heavy engineering and the railways, which lead to steam ships; both of which resulted in new ‘highways’, or chances to explore new avenues.
By 2020, broadband should be deployed to a large extent, Vestberg added, saying that telecom companies have the chance to lead the move into the services and applications which will be operated on these highways. There is a possibility of 50 billion connections by 2020, he said, saying that not all these connections will be operated at the same time and that not all will be used by humans. The non – human connections include installing soft SIM cards in cars which are set to switch on the lights on the motorway during late night when required, thereby reducing power wastage.
In 2050, he added, sustainability will be the main focus and that the industry can reduce CO2 emissions by at least 15% with a bit of investment.
Source - totaltele.com
Revenue from mobile broadband to double by 2013
The revenue collected from cellular services has reached $624 billion last year, which is a 13% increase when compared to 2007, and is said to possibly go to $877 billion by 2010, according to Infonetics Research. The research also says that in the next 4 years, the revenue that comes about from mobile broadband services is set to increase two – fold, indicating that the number of users will double in the next 4 years.
Stephane Teral, the main analyst for FMC and mobile infrastructure at Infonetics Research, says that there isn’t a doubt that mobile broadband is the next big revenue provide for all mobile operators. However, he said, don’t think that the revenue from voice service will decline. Rather, he said, voice service will continue to account for a larger proportion of the revenue for operators, even as all mobile operators look to diversify their operations.
While the revenue for mobile service providers from SMS/MMS services and mobile broadband is fast increasing, the revenue from voice services continues to be a large proportion of the revenue of most mobile service providers. These revenues are set to increase slowly in 2013 and will be driven by the increase in mobile subscribers in developing countries and the gradual change from fixed lines to mobile phones in developed countries.
The revenue from LTE services has been predicted to increase at a high rate, possibly reaching $41.7 billion in 201, with most of the income coming from North America due to the LTE deployments by AT&T. By the end of 2013, the revenue from W-CDMA/HSDPA service will be 500% more than that from CDMA 1xEV-DO as most of the mobile subscribers continue to be on GSM networks.
The number of subscribers to mobile broadband is should hit 1 billion, according to Infonetics, in 2013.
Source - cellular-news.com
Significant discount for 50 Mbps connections
Virgin Media, in a recent announcement, has brought about significant discounts in their 50 Mbps broadband package, meaning that unlike most other broadband providers, high – speed internet doesn’t have to come with a high price as well.
New customers enrolling in the UK with Virgin Media will only be charged a mere £18 per month for the first 3 months of their subscription in order to access the high speed XXL 50 Mbps package, though users will have to pay through Direct Debit or eBilling.
Access to this top speed internet broadband package will also entail users having to subscribe for the £11 per month virgin phone line service and, after the promotional 3 month period, the cost of the package will increase to a nominal 28 pounds monthly.
If new customers do not require the Virgin phone line, then they can choose not to take up the offer and can still be up for the 50 Mbps service. However, the promotional price of the service for the first 3 months increases to 33 pounds monthly and then 38 pounds after the expiration of the promotional period.
All broadband packages being offered by Virgin Media also come with a free modem as well as a Wireless N router, free PCGuard Total, free installation, 100 free photo prints every month, unlimited storage space on their network and automatic backup. Virgin Media also offers the best downlink and uplink speed currently available in the UK regardless of the chosen package.
This promotional deal from Virgin, according to an industry expert, provide amazing value for money with the best speed possible. For people who download a lot or stream TV or music through iPlayer or Spotify, this deal should be hard to resist!
Virgin Media is currently working on launching a new broadband service which should enables its users to have downlink speeds of about 200 Mbps and is putting in a lot of effort to ensure that a lot of subscribers get onto their 50 Mbps package before they roll the 200 Mbps package out.
Restructuring by O2 to result in a cut in the market department by 10%
O2 is set to merge a number of divisions, which might see the marketing staff of 235 say goodbye to about 10% of its colleagues as they seek to streamline the structure of their marketing division.
O2 is also set to purchase Be Broadband and operate it in addition to O2, though the branding of Be Broadband will be kept as it is because of the high popularity of their brand.
The marketing of the products will be brought into the SME, broadband, consumer and corporate mobile teams by way of the mobile network operator. The creation of this customer service team, which will bring about ‘amazing O2 experiences’ will be created and O2 will be seeking a new division head.
The existing staff in O2 will be filling most of the main roles with Felix Geyr set to be the head of the broadband division, Shadi Halliwell to be brand activity’s head, head of strategy planning to be Simon Groves and SME marketing’s head to be Simon Devonshire.
Sally Cowdry, the marketing director, said that, though O2 is gaining in the broadband market, the market is still a challenging one. Change is one of the only few constants and they have to evolve, said Cowdry. Cowdry added that they have moved into offering multi – products and that the changes that they are making are such that they will align themselves to these multi – products.
As far as the mobile phone part is considered, the PAYG and contract marketing teams will be brought in as a single division during restructuring and, rather than focusing on the package that the customers purchase, the focus of marketing will be on particular segments of the market.
They have set November as the month for completing their restructuring and Cowdry said that the staff affected by the restructuring can apply for the newly created roles.
More specs on the Nokia Booklet 3G revealed
More information on the specifications of the Nokia 3G broadband laptop, the Nokia Booklet 3G, have been revealed and we just can’t help but feel that it is a great effort from Nokia.
The netbook was first unveiled last week and, not too surprisingly, it was subject to a lot of ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s in the tech – world over the fact that it has integrated A-GPS and HDMI, meaning that HD video output was possible, something that you won’t always find in netbooks.
Dimensions
• Weight (max) 1,250g
• Dimensions (max) 264 x 185 x 19.9mm
CPU and Chipset
• Intel Atom Z530, 1.6 GHz
• Intel Poulsbo US15W, fanless design
Memory and Storage
• RAM: 1 GB, DDR2, 533MHz, soldered down
• HDD: 120 GB, 1.8"/5mmH/SATA, 8MB cache, 4200 RPM
Display
• 10.1", 1,280 x 720 pixels, glass window
Battery
• 16 cell, 56.8 Wh, Li-Ion prismatic, removable design
Connectivity
• 802.11 b/g/n, 2T2R
• BT 2.1 + EDR
• Inbuilt 3G modem (data calls only). Different variants: WCDMA: 850/1900/2100 or WCDMA 900/2100 or no modem.
• All modem variants have GSM and GPRS
• Assisted-GPS I/O ports
• 1 x HDMI 1.2 out
• 3 x USB 2.0
• 1 x headphone out (OMTP 3.5 mm) – with OMTP headsets also functions as audio in
• 1 x DC-in
• 1 x SD card reader
• 1 x SIM / USIM slot
Camera and microphone
• 1.3 MP front facing camera with integrated microphone
Keyboard
• Frame keyboard
• 2 physical layouts: US (78 keys, 17 mm pitch, 1.8 mm stroke) and UK (79 keys, 16.7 mm pitch, 1.8 mm stroke)
Other
• Accelerometer
Inbox contents
• Nokia Booklet 3G
• BC-1S battery
• AC/DC power adapter
• Quick setup guide and warranty instructions
• Headset WH-205
• USB charging multi-cable CA-126
Software
• Operating System: Windows 7 Starter Edition, Home Premium or Professional
• MS Office Small Business 60 day trial
• MS Internet Explorer 8
• HDD protection utility, Hotkey utility , Knock Control utility, Power Profile Switcher, Battery Life utility
• Nokia Update Manager
• Ovi Suite
• Ovi Maps Gadget
• Social Hub
• F-Secure Internet Security 2010 trial
The booklet is expected to retail for about £500. However, we reckon that this price should reduce by quite a large amount when broadband providers start giving the booklet away on contract deals. We will be providing you additional news on this booklet as and when it becomes available.
Mobile operators find out the dangers of becoming a dumb pipe
As mobile phones become computers, laptops have become more like mobile phones. Even veterans in the industry have been taken aback at how fast mobile broadband has been embraced – using ‘dongles’ or built – in receivers in order to give internet access to laptops through high – speed mobile networks. The advantage of this is that it can be used everywhere and, unlike Wi-Fi, you are not restricted to a particular place. In just Western Europe, the number of mobile – broadband users will increase by 50% to at least 27 million this year, according to an analyst firm, IDC. There are about 100 million users worldwide.
What’s the reason for this boom in these times of economic recession? Operators have been reducing prices for data connections: 3 charges just 10 pounds for 1 GB of data. Dongle prices are also reducing. Connection speeds continue to go up as operators better their networks. The surprising success of netbooks have also contributed to this. Some operators have even gone to the extent of providing netbooks with contracts.
However, this growth has its disadvantages for operators. One of them is the reduction in control. Subscribers are allowed to do whatever they please: the operator is just a spectator who provides a ‘dumb pipe’ to the internet. Rates have also been falling fast. Didier Bonnet of popular consulting firm Capgemini, noted that the pricing is crazy and that mobile broadband is starting to become just another good.
Another downfall is overuse. Operators complain that a small proportion of users use most of the bandwidth. Illegal file – sharers are hard to track. In order to reduce their usage, operators are considering giving higher priority to some data packets over others. Holger Knopke, T-Mobile, said that ‘network neutrality’ will not be a success.
If they don’t want margins to drop, operators should look to increase their level of service and differentiate them. Olaf Swantee, Orange’s head of mobile operations, says that they have to innovate!
Source - economist.com
Mobile broadband doesn’t live upto expectations
Data from Broadband Genie, a broadband comparison site, says that only 11% of users of mobile broadband are happy with the speeds that they are getting from their connections. While nearly a quarter were not decided, nearly two – thirds of people said that they felt their connection wasn’t fast enough.
Broadband Genie also mentioned that they are constantly getting complaints from mobile broadband customers about the 3G broadband service and with more and more people subscribing to these services, the level of complaints is bound to constantly increase.
The editor of Broadband Genie, Chris Marling, hoped that this unbelievable figure would get the attention of mobile broadband ISPs and make them think more about the services that they are providing. He felt that they have been selling too many connections without increasing the capacity as such, something that is bound to come and haunt them.
The perception among the public, Marling continued, of mobile broadband is that it is a service which has stability and speed that is comparable with that of fixed – line broadband, which isn’t really the case – and may not be so in the short – term, at least. He continues by saying that exaggerated advertising, as well as false claims of high ‘upto’ speeds have ensured that the public have a false good impression of mobile broadband that the service, in all reality, cannot possibly hope to provide.
The industry, he said, has to put in more effort in order to educate the customers more about the disadvantages of mobile broadband as well so the members of the general public are capable of making proper decisions with regard to whether mobile broadband is the way to go for them or whether they would be better off making use of fixed line broadband services, which are, in reality, more stable than mobile broadband.
This article was sourced from cellular-news.com.
Past 12 months sees the number of mobile broadband users increase three fold
Broadband comparison website Broadband Finder has found that the number of people using mobile broadband has increased 3 times in the past year, confirming the fast growth in the number of mobile broadband users. The industry forecasts shows that this amount could increase 40 fold within the next 8 years and this number could be in the range of 418 million come 2017, according to Coda Research Consultancy.
Broadband Finder have revealed that the number of people coming to their website from mobile devices has increased and that a large number of people are coming to conduct a comparison of mobile broadband services.
The popularity of mobile broadband lies in the fact that it is very easy to access the internet or check your email regardless of where you currently are. You do not have to worry about any wires or about being in a hotspot. Mobile broadband enables the user to access the internet whenever he wants and wherever he likes to. All that you require is a dongle, a device which is plugged into a laptop or any other portable computer. The presence of an in – built mobile broadband receiver will dispose of the need for this as well.
Thomas Newton of Broadband Finder says that the flexibility of mobile broadband provides a high level of freedom to its users. This is precisely what the modern user wants, he says. He continues by advising potential customers to compare offers from all broadband providers as more and more networks are providing them at great prices.
In a pricing structure which is similar to that found on fixed – line broadband, mobile phone users will be able to get mobile broadband on a PAYG basis or on a monthly contract basis. With the capability of being mobile becoming more and more attractive, the prices are falling, making it more affordable for potential customers.
Source - prweb.com
Orange Mobile Broadband to provide unlimited overnight downloads
Orange has come up with a variety of packages for mobile broadband which also allow unlimited overnight downloads.
Customers of Orange Mobile Broadband’s new package, which includes the Early Bird tariffs, have a particular download allowance for a month, but also have unlimited downloads during off – peak hours between 12 AM and 9 AM.
This new package will be starting from 12.72 pounds monthly for a free 3GB data bundle, and will go upto 17.62 pounds for 5 GB and 27.4 pounds for a 10 GB data bungle. All pacakges come with a free mobile broadband USB dongle as well as a 1 year contract.
Customers of these packages can also purchase additional data if required in bundles of 1 GB, 3 GB, 5 GB or 10 GB with the price starting at a mere 5 pounds for 1 GB and going upto 20 pounds in order to get a 10 GB additional data bundle.
The product director of broadbandchoices.co.uk, Michael Phillips, said that Orange is the first ISP in the country to have provided such an amazing deal. Mobile broadband packages tend to offer much less download allowances when compared to the fixed – line broadband connections and customers have a tendency to go over their limit, thereby incurring a lot of additional costs, added Phillips.
Phillips continued by saying that the new tariffs provided by Orange will be a real boon to mobile broadband users as they will be able to put items to download overnight without eating up into their monthly data bundle allocation, resulting in less costs incurred for these downloads.
Orange, Phillips mentioned, also provide additional bundles at the least cost in the market. They charge, he said, nearly 10 pounds less than what rivals do for 1 GB.
