Mobile data and mobile web browsing are quickly becoming common place features among mobile phones today. With the ever increasing speed at which we are forced to live our lives, reaching the internet, the all knowing source of information, is becoming a bigger ddraw for many people. Apple’s iPhone helped fast track the move to mobile data. Now that many more people have gotten a taste of it, they don’t want to ever go without it again. Also, with the influx of graphically rich mobile applications, loads and stresses on the cellular networks whom provide the services for mobile data are starting to feel the pinch. Are they ready?
In short…No. While the debate is still ongoing as to whether there really is a “bandwidth” shortage (that term is usually used more in regards to land line based broadband) or if carriers and service providers are just trying to fleece consumers more and creating a “false sense of panic”, one thing is for sure, we need better mobile data service.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is no stranger to crappy network performance as that topic hits home rather nicely. Last week, Mr. Stephenson claimed that the U.S.’s fragile and under developed cellular network simply couldn’t handle the massive demand for mobile data that has skyrocketed within the last couple of years. The most recent example of AT&T and their sub par network affecting the lives of many and ruining part of the user experience on a cellular device came when they had a helping hand in blocking the Slingplayer app for iPhone. Allowing a video streaming app such as Slingplayer through would mean insta-stroke for their network as hundreds of thousands of iPhones tuned into their TV’s wirelessly from abroad.
According to Mr. Setphenson, things aren’t all deathly wrong as he highlighted his company’s plans to begin their HSPA+ network rollout that will start later this year and double network speeds to 7.2 Mbps – up from the current 3.6 Mbps. However, anyone with half a brain cell and some sense of logical thinking can look at the problems at hand and AT&T’s solution and see that faster speed won’t make anything better. In fact, it could even make it worse as even 3.6 Mbps 3G service can be slow, keeping many users from using the service in the first place. But, with faster HSPA+ and 7.2 Mbps download speeds, many more may be tempted to join in on the party. Also a stick in the proverbial mud is that AT&T as well as all U.S. carriers can’t just slap a new tower down and expect everything to chug along nice and quick. The backhaul connection connecting the towers to the network themselves needs to go on a substantial weight gain diet.
Usually with many mobile phone ailments, a simple software upgrade remedies the situation and makes everything well again. That is not the case with phones who currently don’t support HSPA+ speeds. Why not? Even with a software upgrade to support the higher speeds, the device also needs to have hardware support by way of the added radio inside. Without that, the software is worthless.
What is sure to be a disappointment, if it is in fact brought back from the grave – tiered pricing. At one point in time not that long ago, mobile data plans were tiered with varoius usage limits and prices. In order to increase sales and make more profit, carriers adopted a flat rate…and as you can see…people are eating it up. However, AT&T now thinks that going back to a tiered plan will make them even more money. In reality, many users who would find themselves paying more under a tiered structure will simply leave to a carrier that doesn’t have a tiered structure or drop mobile data all together.
There is no doubt that the U.S. cellular network is in need of some help. How soon will it come? And to what measures will carriers go and what services and freedoms will they restrict in order to line their pockets more?
Source: Tech Dirt, Image Source
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