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The Rising Mobile Society

Posted on 17. Feb, 2012 by dfloyd in 4G LTE, Industry News

Cisco has been tracking mobile usage and developing forecasts for the coming years in mobile data.[1] Needless to say, smartphone usage will continue increasing over the next several years. By 2014, smartphone handsets will exceed 50 percent of all mobile data traffic. Mobile data is expected to grow at compound annual growth rate of 78 percent over the next four years, reaching 10.8 exabytes by 2016.

Smartphones Becoming Our Conduits to Life
We all know smartphone usage is growing, but it is growing at such leaps and bounds that mobile data access via smartphones and tablets are becoming a standard mode for conducting business, doing research, shopping and much more. Our mobile devices are becoming a conduit for day to day engagement with the world around us. By the end of this year (2012), Cisco anticipates there will be over 100 million smartphone users that regularly consume over 1 GB of data per month. During the same period (2012), the number of smartphones will surpass the size of the earth’s population.

Entering an Age of Machine to Machine Talk
Over the next four years, the number of mobile connected devices will grow to over 10 billion. By 2016, mobile tablets will generate as much or more traffic the all mobile traffic in 2012. At least one-quarter of smartphone users will operate two or more mobile connected devices. Based on the worldwide 4G infrastructure (IMT-Advanced), mobile data speeds should increase at least 9-fold.

This combination of multiple devices and multiple speeds introduces one of the fundamental benefits of IMT-Advanced protocols: machine to machine talk. As devices communicate health stats, preset preferences, and other forms of data, we can expect to see a wide range of health devices, lifestyle devices and more that increase convenience and dramatically expand our range of possibilities.

Mobile data access is already utilized in many non-smartphone applications such as:
• Security surveillance – Businesses and consumers alike are using video streams, nannycams, and petcams that can be accessed via mobile-enabled gateways.
• Healthcare – As healthcare facilities move toward EHR/EMR implementations, they open the way for a range of mobile access possibilities for customers, medical professionals and others.
• Inventory and fleet management: Wi-Fi has become a standard for cellular based fleet management connectivity.
• Telematics: Navigation tools apps and devices continue to grow and offer more and more customizable options.

Shifting Our Computing to the Cloud
This increase in speed and mobile access via smartphones, tablets, notebooks and more, will change the way we compute. We are transitioning into a time when our computing will look more like mobile apps on smartphones and tablets. Software and data will be stored on the Cloud and accessed much like the way we stream movies and videos now across the web.

Just this week, Apple announced that they were dropping the name Mac from their next OS iteration. It will simply be called OSX. This corresponds with their mobile platform iOS. This indicates a shift from a computer environment to an app-driven environment where data and applications run across the web instead of residing completely on a specific device.

Mobile Data Access Exceeding 2GB on Average
Currently, the average smartphone generates about 150 MB traffic each month. By 2016, it is expected the average will leap to 2.6 GB per month. More people, more devices, easier access and more options will make us thirst for data access.

Challenges and Changes Ahead
The rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets that rely on mobile data devices brings a range of opportunities and challenges. As customers and businesses alike begin to rely on mobile access more and more, expectation will increase for seamless access and integration. Transparent connectivity and reliability will cause more and more people to adopt new technologies.

Plus, business will continue to explore new ways to engage this emerging mobile population, and meet the ever-growing expectations of a user base that comes to rely on network access anywhere, anytime.

Mobile Data Traffic Doubles Yet Again

Posted on 15. Feb, 2012 by dfloyd in Industry News

For the fourth year in a row, mobile data traffic has more than doubled. According to a recent report by Cisco, last year’s mobile data traffic grew by 133 percent.[1] Cisco’s recent study provides both a review of the past year as well as projections for the next five years based on the trends of the last several years. The overall conclusion is that smartphones are becoming ubiquitous as more and more people establish lifestyles that revolve around constant access to mobile connected devices. By the end of 2012, the number of mobile-connected devices in use will exceed the world’s population.

Here are the mobile traffic highlights for 2011:

• The amount of mobile data traffic was eight times higher in 2011 than the entire Internet traffic on 2000.
• Mobile video traffic passed 50 percent for the first time ever and by the end of the year it had reach 52 percent.
• Mobile data connection speeds jumped 66 percent. Downstream speeds rose from 189 kbps in 2010 to 315 kbps in 2011. Mobile network connection speeds rose from 968 kpbs in 2010 to 1344 kpbs in 2011.
• 4G connections generated 28 times the average traffic of non-4G. While 4G represents only about 0.2 of mobile connection market, they generated 6 percent of the overall data traffic.
• 24 percent of all mobile data traffic comes from the top 1 percent of mobile subscribers. While this seems like a high number, it is actually dropping. In 2010, the top 1 percent accounted for 35  percent of all mobile data traffic. As more and more people access mobile data traffic, this number will probably keep dropping.
• The average amount of smartphone usage jumped to 150 MB per month in 2011 from 55 MB in 2010.
• By the end of 2011 Android data usage was beginning to pass the amount of iPhone data usage.
• Mobile-connected tablets reached 34 million in 2011, and the average mobile-connected tablets access mobile data about 3.4 times more than the average smartphone.
• The 175 million mobile network-connected laptops utilized data traffic 22 times more often than the average smartphone.

While these increases represent a dramatic increase across the board, they are just beginning. Data usage will increase even more dramatically in the years ahead as average users begin have two, three and even four devices regularly accessing mobile data traffic. I’ll circle back round to this topic in the next day or two and highlight some of the expectations for the next several years.

[1] See Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2011–2016 <http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/white_paper_c11-520862.html>

4G LTE Shines at Verizon CES

Posted on 23. Jan, 2012 by dfloyd in 4G LTE, Industry News

Verizon Wireless put the spotlight on the possibilities of its 4G LTE network at CES 2012. Partnering with a wide range of innovators, Verizon Wireless showcased over 90 demonstrations of 4G LTE providing a framework that supports public safety, healthcare, tele-retailing, education, banking, shopping, gaming and more.

Verizon Wireless announced that all smartphones released this year will take advantage of the 4G LTE speeds and convenience. Here are some of the Verizon introductions that Cellular Sales readers may be interested in checking out:

DROID 4 by Motorola
It’s finally here. The thinnest and most powerful 4G LTE QWERTY Smartphone. It’s only .5 inches deep, and yet it still has a sweet slide out keyboard. The laser cut design with backlit LED light is perfect for typing. PC Magazine calls this “the keyboard to be beat.” According to Motorola, Droid 4 is enclosed in a water-repellant nanocoating. It includes an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture. With Mirror Mode, Droid can stream video to a TV and on the device at the same time. The government grade encryption for mail, calendars, and contacts and the preloaded Citrix Receiver makes this a great device for businesses.

Verizon Jetpack™, A Global Ready™ 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot
Utilizing the speed and power of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, the Jetpack delivers blazing fast connectivity for up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The built-in OLED screen and interactive keypad gives customers the ability to manage connection connections and settings, and also read data usage notices via text message. This world device reaches more than 205 countries, operating on both 4G LTE and 3G networks. It supports Quad Band EDGE and HSPA.

Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 7.7
Introducing the world’s thinnest 4G LTE Tablet and first tablet in the United States to feature Super AMOLED™ Plus Display. At half the weight of the iPad, this tablet is turning heads and catching eyes. The Super AMOLED Plus displays such a good contrast that is easier to read and view than many screens, plus it provides a clearer picture. The specs are unparalleled among its competitors including a 720p (1280×800) resolution touchscreen, 1.4GHz dual-core processor, 3MP camera, HDMI out with an adapter, Wi-Fi direct, front-facing camera, AllShare, Wi-Fi, 16GB storage onboard, and microSD slot. With an HTML 5 Web browser utilizing the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, the Galaxy Tab can quickly access the Web, stream music and more at blazing speeds using the V. This stylish, light, and thin tablet is a top contender.

CES 2012 Highlights

Posted on 15. Jan, 2012 by dfloyd in Industry News

Samsung Exhibit CES 2012 (by Kevin Krejci via Creative Commons)

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) came and went with promises of smarter and thinner mobile products that are always working in the background to meet your particular needs. Depending on who you read, CES 2012 was either the year of the TV, the year of the smartphone, the year of applications, or the year of Samsung. The show wowed some and bored some and offered up a range of new products that are coming soon to consumers, businesses and stores. Here are a few highlights:

Smartphones – This year 21 new phones debuted at CES. 17 of those phones were Androids including five Samsung Galaxy phones, the Droid 4, Nokia Lumia 9000, LG Spectrum and more. At the show, Verizon Wireless announced that all future smartphones sold by Verizon will be 4G equipped. I’ll take a closer look at some of the key phones released in a future post.

Tablets – This might be the year of the tablets…again. While many folks predicted 2011 as the year of the tablet, it appears the penetration of tablets into the consumer and business markets will make greater strides in 2012. More than 100 tablets were unveiled at CES with some impressive debuts including the Asus Memo 370T, Blackberry’s Playbook, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, the Toshiba Excite, and a Lenovo with an Intel chip that wowed the crowd. (For a comprehensive list of all new tablets at CES, see BGR.)

LG OLED TVs (by LGEPR via Creative Commons)

TVs – Many were awed by the stunning OLED technology on display in TVs like the LG 55″ television and the Samsung 55″ television. Get ready to see, hear, read about OLED TVs and why they’re the next big thing in television. These TVs are thin (some merely 4 mm thick), application driven (streaming media, social media, online access), and voice and gesture controlled.

Unusual – There were also plenty of unusual offerings on display like the Samsung Smart Window. It’s a 22″ transparent window that is also an LCD panel. You can look through to see how fast your grass is growing, but you can also use it as a computer display to check out Facebook, Twitter, weather updates, and more. It can create personal shades as well as adjust the display to lighting levels in the room.

Apps – Everything has applications now. From TVs, to tablets, to smartphones and more, apps are becoming the way we all customize our always-on devices to support the unique ways we use them. More than ever, consumer electronics appears to be entering a time of customization where our products come ready to adapt to our requirements. One fun little app that was on display was a remote control car designed to work in conjunction with a remote control app on the iPhone. With this app, you can control a toy car by simply gesturing.

There are a range of other new apps, tablets and smartphones worth discussing that I’ll try to highlight in the coming days.

Update: I forgot to mention the unveiling of the Behringer iNuke Boom, the ultimate iPhone speaker. For a sound explosion, the savvy shopper must have an eight foot long, 1000 watt speaker weighing 700 pounds and costing $29,999.

Tablet Sales on Fire

Posted on 28. Nov, 2011 by dfloyd in Industry News

Suddenly tablets are in. Amazon reports that Kindle Fire was the number one selling item on Amazon.com on black Friday and that customers purchased four times as many Kindles as they did on Black Friday 2010.

At the same time, iPad sales were up 68% on Black Friday from Black Friday a year ago. Apple has sold 11.1 million tablets in the past quarter and by some projection will sell 13.5 million in December alone (See TabTimes).

The lower price point of Kindle Fire makes it an attractive purchase for many consumer looking to buy a tablet. A recent survey by Parks Associates suggests that customers facing a choice between iPad and Kindle Fire are 51 percent more likely to choose the Fire (see Bloomberg Businessweek).

The overwhelming success of both tablets may suggest a new era in tablet sales. While iPad has already been popular among consumers, Kindle Fire is bringing its version of the Android operating system to the forefront. While it’s still too early to tell, the popularity of Kindle Fire may open the door for a great acceptability of Android tablets on the market. What would be really nice is to see Kindle Fire 4G on the blazing Verizon LTE 4G network.