Mobile Data Services

As part of its announcement of the launch of its LTE network, SK Telecom in South Korea provided information on mobile data traffic, which is continuing to increase substantially. SK Telecom said that monthly data traffic recorded in June 2011 was 19 times greater than in August 2010. It predicts that the “dramatic” increase in… Read more

In his mobile blog, Mark Heath discusses T-Mobile’s recent reductions in smartphone data allowances. As a further sign that 3G operators need to constrain mobile traffic growth, T-Mobile UK  announced, in January 2011, a substantial reduction in mobile data allowances. The announcement caused an outcry from some smartphone customers. The move, which is clearly aimed… Read more

Mark Heath reviews the findings of Ofcom’s 2010 report on the international telecoms market. UK telecom regulator Ofcom published, in December 2010, a very interesting report on the international telecoms market, in which it compares the UK mobile industry with other countries. The report covers a variety of issues, including the current state of 3G… Read more

In his wireless blog, Alastair Brydon of Unwired Insight worries that mobile users will become increasingly dissatisfied with their mobile broadband services. The latest twist in the long-running saga of UK spectrum modernisation came this week, as the Competition Appeal Tribunal upheld a decision by Ofcom, that Telefónica O2 and Vodafone must wait to refarm… Read more

The service mix on mobile devices will see a radical change in the next few years. The overall mix of wireless network traffic will change significantly between 2009 and 2014, with traffic-intensive data services dominating the mix. Video streaming and downloads will contribute the largest proportions of total data usage in developed markets, at 48.1% in… Read more

3G traffic volumes are set to increase substantially in the next five years. Many factors, as shown in the figure below, will support this growth, including: increasing 3G penetration, as users rapidly migrate from 2/2.5G to 3G services increasing penetration of USB modems and datacards (supporting mobile broadband services) increasing penetration of smartphones proliferation of… Read more

3G operators must be able to support huge increases in mobile data traffic over the next few years, according to a new report from Unwired Insight. The report, entitled ‘Will 3G Networks Cope?’, shows that 3G traffic volumes will rise to unprecedented levels, and some 3G operators will not be able to cope. Behind the… Read more

Before the introduction of mobile broadband services and the rapid update of 3G smartphones, non-voice services were dominated by services that do not consume much network resource, as shown in the table below, such as text messaging, games downloads and small-screen (WAP) browsing. With an increasing penetration of USB modems and datacards, and smartphones, the… Read more

Mobile network operators in developed regions should prepare for a tenfold increase in wireless network traffic by 2015, as data traffic rapidly overtakes voice, according to the new report, Wireless network traffic 2008-2015: forecasts and analysis, written by Unwired Insight. Total wireless network traffic from cellular users in developed regions is set to increase substantially,… Read more