Posts Tagged mobile broadband
Windows 8 to feature simple mobile broadband connection
Posted by Jeremy in Latest Broadband News on January 24, 2012
In a post on its ‘Building Windows 8′ blog, computer powerhouse Microsoft has released details of how Windows 8 will offer improved wireless broadband connectivity. Devices and networking team program manager Billy Anders wrote about how the company has been improving mobile broadband connectivity management to provide users with comprehensive access to wireless broadband.
Anders wrote: “We looked at the fundamentals of wireless connectivity and re-engineered Windows 8 for a mobile and wireless future, going beyond incremental improvements.”
The company included mobile broadband connectivity functions in Windows 7 but third-party software and drivers for USB broadband devices made connecting a chore. To solve this, Microsoft worked with mobile broadband hardware producers to develop a driver that is compatible with all mobile broadband devices, allowing the company to integrate mobile broadband alongside the more commonplace Wi-Fi. With connectivity to both Wi-Fi and mobile broadband available, Windows 8 customers will be in the enviable position of having almost unlimited broadband access available to them.
Ander also said: “We knew that if we were to give you true mobility, that Wi-Fi alone would not be enough. Therefore, for Windows 8, we fully developed and integrated mobile broadband (MB) as a first-class connectivity experience within Windows – right alongside Wi-Fi,”
A major improvement will be in the managing of mobile broadband connections. Users will be able to easily monitor their data usage, which in turn will help to keep costs down as users will be able to see when they are at risk of exceeding their data allowance.
Windows 8 Task Manager will also allow users to see how much of their mobile data allowance each open application has used. This will help users learn which programs use the most of their data allowance, which will also help user to keep the cost of browsing and downloading as low as possible.
Dell announces pre-installed mobile broadband partnership
Posted by Jeremy in Latest Broadband News on January 14, 2012
Dell has announced that they have struck a partnership with mobile provider Three and manufacturer of ‘white label’ broadband connectivity devices Macheen that will see pre-installed broadband services available on its laptops and tablet computer devices.
Macheen, a company based in Texas in the USA, will manufacture and provide the relevant technology, while Three will provide the network for the technology to operate on and all three companies will split the revenue that the venture generates. The deal will give those who purchase a tablet or laptop featuring the technology to simply sign up to a mobile broadband tariff that Three offers in order to access mobile broadband services. No need to plug a dongle into a USB port, or wait for their service to go live.
The agreement reached with Dell is the first Macheen has come to since it launched its unbranded mobile broadband software. President and CEO of Macheen Inc., Richard Schwartz said: “Device makers are looking to turn lower-margin hardware into constant customer connections-without the heavy lifting,” adding: “That transition begins with simple, seamless connections to the cloud, followed by on-going offers of new content and services. We are seeing a significant improvement in both the purchase and connection rates for device makers who build in connectivity into their devices.”
As it is the first deal of its kind, the companies involved hope it will provide a new revenue stream and pave the way for more deals between mobile broadband providers and computer manufacturers. Macheen is already in talks with other computer companies and mobile broadband providers in other countries.
However, industry commentators are unsure whether consumers will embrace this white label service or prefer to seek out mobile broadband coverage themselves. Mobile providers and computer manufacturers will be watching Dell’s sales figures closely once the products containing the technology are launched.
Half of all mobile broadband is consumed by one percent of users
Posted by Jeremy in Latest Broadband News on January 10, 2012
New research from network management company Arieso shows that a small percentage of mobile broadband users are responsible for half of all traffic on 3G networks. The study also claims that demand for mobile broadband is increasing faster than the industry expected due to the availability of new 3G services, devices like smartphones and tablets and mobile apps.
Arieso’s research shows that ‘extreme’ mobile internet users that consume the most data are also becoming more reliant on mobile broadband for browsing as well as streaming video and downloading files. The company believes this will cause more problems for mobile network providers worldwide that are already facing capacity shortages, with issues only increasing further in 2012.
Using Apple’s iPhone 3G as the benchmark, the research team produced a report that shows mobile broadband use for a host of devices. Where users of the iPhone 3G boasted 100 percent volume data consumption, those using 3G modems showed scores of 2,654 for uplink volume and 2,432 percent for downlink volume.
Author of the study and chief technology offer for Arieso Dr Michael Flanagan said that the introduction of increasingly hi-tech mobile devices and the growing need for internet access any place and anytime by consumers was placing extreme pressure on mobile network operators. Dr Flanagan said: “The capacity crunch is still a very real threat for mobile operators and it looks set to only get harder in 2012. The mobile industry needs new investment and new approaches to boost network performance and manage the customer experience.”
He also stated his belief that without preparing for increased mobile data consumption, mobile network operators stand to suffer financially, with operational costs sure to spiral out of control.
Another recent report, this time conducted by Ericsson, stated that mobile data use is set to increase ten times over in the next five years, with mobile broadband users set to rise to five billion by 2016. It remains to be seen what contingency plans mobile operators will implement in response to these figures.