In this new era of explosive mobile data growth, rapid rise in mobile broadband services and rich digital content are contributing to unprecedented level of stress on mobile networks. Operators are feeling the pinch on their business models with the arrival of smart devices, leaving them in anxiety and unable to respond to the deluge of data.
As a measure to reduce congestion on their network, several tier 1 operators have discontinued unlimited data plans and launched tiered plans to ensure network performance. At the same time, operators do not want to risk losing a significant growing market of smartphone users that are looking for value added services. It is a challenge for operators to sustain the wave of data, let alone address the dwindling ARPU as the demand of data is outstripping the rate of supply.
The following section of this paper describes the possible options that operators can embrace to overcome the capacity crunch through innovative service models, the impact of Wi-Fi on delivering the right service experience and how emerging technology is pushing further the expectations of “big data”.
2. WHITEPAPER
Abstract
Wi-Fi had its beginnings as a “good to have” technology, whereby its value
were undermined by its range and found its place in niche markets. The
evolution of Wi-Fi from its role of connectivity to “Wi-Fi as a service” has
come a long way. Throughput speeds have leap-frog from 2Mbps to
11Mbps and now at an astounding rate of up to 150Mbps. The essence of
today’s communication is driven by the need for a networked society, which
is defined from both the consumer and operator levels, where everything that
can benefit from a connection will be likely connected. With Wi-Fi beginning
to claim its position as a mainstream technology, it has inspired many an
application platform for developers, pipeline for operators and the boom of
smarter gadgets and devices to pack in as many things as possible, in the
realm of transmitting and sharing information in a connected society.
By now, it is commonplace that data growth has exponentially outgrown
revenue growth. And an observation and pain point of all operators offering
broadband data. In this new era of explosive mobile data growth, rapid rise
in mobile broadband services and rich digital content are contributing to
unprecedented level of stress on mobile networks. Operators are feeling the
pinch on their business models with the arrival of smart devices, leaving
them in anxiety and unable to respond to the deluge of data.
As a measure to reduce congestion on their network, several tier 1
operators have discontinued unlimited data plans and launched tiered
plans to ensure network performance, in a similar move by AT&T in the US.
At the same time, operators do not want to risk losing a significant growing
market of smartphone users that are looking for value added services. It is
a challenge for operators to sustain the wave of data, let alone address the
dwindling ARPU as the demand of data is outstripping the rate of supply.
One of the marginal approach of focusing on generating revenue from free
Wi-Fi venues (through retailers, cafes, hubs), can create “stickiness” for
users through the appeal of zero cost access.
The following section of this paper describes the possible options that
operators can embrace to overcome the capacity crunch through
innovative service models, the impact of Wi-Fi on delivering the right service
experience and how emerging technology is pushing further the
expectations of “big data”.
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Contents
Overview 01
Capacity Crunch – 03
How to Stay Ahead of the Game with Wi-Fi
Mobile Optimized Small Screen Experience
Wi-Fi Investment Strategies
Enabling the Right Wi-Fi Experience 08
Convergence
Standards
Growth
Loyalty
Maximize Mobile Data – New Service Models 12
Diversifying Service Models
• Big Data Potential
Emerging Technology – Cloud Services, the Next Frontier
Conclusion 18
Stay Ahead with Wi-Fi 20
4. WHITEPAPER Overview - 01
Overview
Wireless technology has transformed lives beyond imagination. There is
great interest and excitement that embedded connectivity brings to
everyday devices, ranging from smartphones to tablets, to consumer
electronics (CE), automated M2M communication that leads to more
efficient energy consumption, healthcare and many more. These devices
and solutions deliver benefits to consumers, businesses, enterprises and
society as a whole.
Emerging wireless networking technologies—and the ability to embed
connectivity to these networks in virtually all types of devices—are creating
a new connected future. The growth of mobile Internet connectivity
changed dramatically with the introduction of 3G connectivity. Price cuts, all
you can eat plans further unleashed the power of Internet connectivity and
with 4G and Wi-Fi technology contributing to it. According to some industry
players like Ericsson, the predicted connected device segment will reach up
to 50 billion by year 2020.
The advent of smart devices and technologies are breaking down barriers to
adoption and many uncertainties arise as to where and how the data
explosion is impacting their businesses. From the infrastructure perspective,
the major pain point occurs in the RAN bottleneck and transport layer which
carries the bulk of radio signaling, device management and detection on the
access network. At the backend, some sophistication is required for core
network competencies to manage the network intelligence including
enforcement of policy control to billing and mediation.
It is worth mentioning, that the explosion of data is not an overnight
phenomenon and the spike patterns are reasonably predictable. There is no
doubting that the deluge of data is putting a strain on the operator’s
networks. However, the series of intermittent and voracious appetite across
certain high density locations are somewhat predictable and can be
controlled through effective network monitoring approach and densification
of coverage through multiple networks 3G/HSPA/Wi-Fi.
5. WHITEPAPER Where is Wi-Fi - 02
Overview
The ultimate goal is to create excellent mobile performance, brand and
better communicate with smartphone and tablet-savvy customer base.
Many innovative operators have already hired PR firms to help them with
their social media marketing strategies and are now looking to get even
closer to their customer base, namely via their handsets. The tactical
approach of allowing customers to take action – when and how to connect,
entice free downloads, request a product sample, or some other end goal
to activate a marketing ad and spend time with the operators brand, so that
it will give them a good reason to do it the first time and then a great
experience so they’ll do it again and again.
6. WHITEPAPER Capacity Crunch - 01
Overview 03
Capacity Crunch – How to Stay
Ahead of the Game with Wi-Fi
Technology itself will not thrive, but the shift of customer centric focus is
central to operators looking for ways of serving their subscribers to create
customer value through innovations in products, services and business
models to earn highest rewards. Consequently driving operators to look
further in the long run rather than exploiting short-term opportunities to
produce sustainability in the marketplace.
The response to change will include assessment of cutting-edge
technologies, network issues, IT challenges or operational barriers to
execute innovation. It’s an opportunity to increase customer loyalty by
offering innovative services, but revenue potential may not be immediately
visible. Operators need to build sustainable business models where the
network transforms from a cost center and becomes a profit center.
Similarly, the value added service becomes a value center central to the
business. In recent years, OTT service players has captured the attention of
subscribers due in large part of the relatively high quality ‘best effort’ service
ie. flat rate plans that could carry the experience, albeit falling short on some
quality. As a result, it has impacted mobile operators by limiting the
opportunity to sell advanced services.
As traffic volumes relentlessly rise, the expectation is that the service
provider will continue to build out the infrastructure to support it. But unless
the revenues associated with this incremental traffic is greater or equivalent
to the ROI in the network itself, the ultimate outcome will be poor quality of
service for most customers through the underlying under-investment in
network infrastructure. It is therefore of interest to the whole industry for the
service provider to better monetize traffic volume in general, and OTT traffic
in particular to its advantage. Smartphones are set to dominate data
growth. Gartner1 in a recent analysis report predicts that by 2015
approximately 39% of the smartphone device will be accountable for
Android tablet sales and hence operators are aggressively addressing the
capacity crunch in its network offload over Wi-Fi, densification of the macro
cells or whichever methods that fit their business needs. 1Source : Gartner April 2011
“Forecast: Media Tablets
by Operating System,
Worldwide, 2010-2015”
7. WHITEPAPER Capacity is Wi-Fi - 02
Where Crunch 04
Mobile Optimized
Small Screen Experience
Nowadays the value of the network, as perceived by subscribers, is straight
forward and in many cases translates simply to speed, price and availability.
One reason for this is the relative disconnect between the applications and
the networks over which they run. To the consumers, it is about how well
YouTube works on the network and not how sophisticated the network is.
Operators must rethink how to fully leverage network capabilities such as
higher performance or to mitigate network shortfalls such as congestion,
with application awareness and how they connect. There is a need for
networks, devices and applications to talk and recognize the screen size for
an optimized experience. To move away from an approach based on
inferring and deriving empirical models and towards an approach based on
"known states".
The behavior of smartphone (small screen) is markedly different from
traditional laptops or notebooks. It inherently requires greater processors
for optimized power, storage and performance with dissimilar design in
terms of the network level resource control. Tablets deliver a richer
experience that revolves around content consumption. The richer the
ecosystem becomes, the stronger the “stickiness” factor on consumers as
the dependencies on applications, services and overall user experience
become apparent.
Some smartphone or 802.11 compatible devices are designed to
opportunistically connect to a network. Decisions to connect, roam or
disconnecting to a particular access points are usually unspecified and
unpredictable in time and pattern due to better radio conditions or
performance2 indicators. However, the predictability of “known” surge of
traffic at certain peak times of the day, and in certain high density locations,
gives light to the “known states” of behavioral pattern.
2Note : The impact of DHCP and
authentication servers,
backhaul links, and wireless
controllers are not discussed
in this paper.
8. WHITEPAPER Capacity is Wi-Fi - 02
Where Crunch 05
Roaming algorithms are closely tied to the configuration of the connection
3Note : Handheld device will be
manager and some smartphones depend on native device capability. Some
referred as smartphone and
handheld3 devices minimize roaming to prevent frequent service interruption, tablet throughout this paper,
for clarity of description, unless
and preservation of the battery life of the device. On the contrary, some otherwise specified.
handheld devices rigorously try to achieve improved connection causing
momentary interruptions during handoffs. Data services benefit from this,
since the data traffic streams are asymmetrical. But, it causes interruptions
to real-time service which are jitter and latency sensitive (eg : voice, video).
With the ability to recognize the device context, opportunities arise for new
service models in which upstream and/or downstream customers can
benefit from accessing the network’s intelligence.
Screen Size
Connection
Processing Power
Speed
Connections Adoption Usage KB per Minute = Traffic
Source : Cisco VNI, 2010
Wi-Fi Investment Strategies
It is well recognized that mobile data traffic is growing at a faster rate than
mobile data revenues. The imbalance will become more pressing as more
sophisticated mobile internet devices and more media-rich mobile
applications come on the market.
While operators are rigorously testing and planning next generation LTE
networks, many believes that the increased spectral efficiency promise will
not be the silver bullet to keep up with tomorrow’s mobile internet usage.
Operators turning to the use of Wi-Fi hotspots have much to gain in this
fiercely competitive market. Market foresight and leadership is leading tier 1
operators to gain a strong foothold as evidenced China Mobile which
already has about 60,0004 Wi-Fi hotspots and has aggressive plans to
4Source : WBA Industry Report 2011
deploy up to 1 million in the next three years across China.
9. WHITEPAPER Capacity Crunch - 01
Overview 06
Wi-Fi Access Data
revenue offloading
Customer Value-added Enhanced user
acquisition tool service platform experience
Churn reduction Improve indoor
tool coverage
Source : Informa Telecom & Media
According to a study by Informa Telecom & Media, the potential of Wi-Fi is
far greater than the commonly perceived benefit of alleviating congestion. In
the longer term, it can affect the industry and operators mobile internet
strategies to stay relevant and competitive.
The biggest inhibitor in Wi-Fi strategies comes down to the investment
returns. A lean and efficient network should ideally be a profit center.
Studies have indicated that the long term postpaid service contracts are the
ones helping pay off the investments for expanding the data networks.
However, the proportion of pre-paid lower ARPU customer base is catching
up fast on mobile data trend with the price of smartphones becoming more
affordable and operator race to sign-up more data customers as means to
access a new segment of the market.
The trade-off of device subsidies in postpaid models versus the prepaid
model can be studied from the cost per byte acquisition. According to a
study by consulting firm Bain & Company5, it is 6 times more cost to acquire
a new subscriber, than retain an existing one. The innate behaviors of
prepaid users exhibit a higher tendency to churn, that reflect patterns that
are still driven by price promotions. In contrast, graduating the postpaid
users to a different type of plan at a time when renewals, cross selling and
upgrading plans at contract point can in the mid to longer term reduce
churn and convert these subscribers into higher ARPU potentials by 5Source : Can communications
service providers earn
effective marketing i.e. earn the customers love for their service. Several their customers’ love? -
components come into play to ensure a right fit of service mix is delivered; Domenico Azzarello and
Mark Kovac; Bain
& Company
10. WHITEPAPER Capacity is Wi-Fi - 02
Where Crunch 07
type of device, policy, profiles, user preferences/behavioral patterns. Keep
the users engaged, happy and reward them to build loyalty. The payoff can
be dramatic, if done correctly into defining the customer experience.
Given that Wi-Fi coverage can be offered at a fraction of the cost of a new
cellular network site, Wi-Fi is becoming a strategic option for mobile
operators to reduce the cost per byte of data traffic transported. Some
operators are aggressively deploying extensive Wi-Fi networks, whereas
others choose to develop partnerships with Wi-Fi aggregators (e.g. Boingo)
and independent networks (e.g. Starbucks). Either way, operators are now
seeing their strategies to pragmatic practice to strengthen its market
position.
Some of the potential returns are indirectly reaped from brand building. A
positive customer experience can create positive effect on customer
acquisition (loyal customers are more likely to recommend a product or
service to friends).Wi-Fi investment is not without its shortfalls. Changing
business operational modes will require careful assessment of security,
integration, roaming, authentication and mobility frameworks.
11. WHITEPAPER Enabling the Right Wi-Fi Experience - 08
Enabling the Right
Wi-Fi Experience
Where should we be focusing in Wi-Fi in relation to your business? The
quantifiable measure that is explicitly worthwhile experimenting is the
incremental Wi-Fi access revenue through introduction of new service
models. The intensity of data consumption in smartphones is much more
aggressive in comparison to legacy mobile device. The transformational
value of smartphones is multiplied by the capability to perform considerably.
The obvious reasons for adopting Wi-Fi presents itself in several areas such
as maximizing the use of available spectrum to deliver the best service
experience. It is common for operators today to bundle Wi-Fi with existing
subscription to give additional value on top of the mobile or broadband
package, while serving as a retention tool to increase operator’s perceived
service value which forms part of the operator’s mobile broadband
strategies. – on demand capacity, build-as-you-go model, letting operators
serve pockets of users as needed and where needed, incrementally.
The combination of the “right” devices to the alignment of how Wi-Fi is used
to the best advantage of network capabilities is unbelievable in the way it
shifts social preferences. The arrival of the iconic iPad has impacted people’s
lives in more than one way or another. From the service provider’s
perspective, various areas including app development, platforms and IT
would require organization shift to enable simpler operation and delivery.
Likewise, users experience have transformed tremendously and changed
their views on services that are delivered through intuitive interface and
access to wide range of apps. Most importantly, the usability factor is high
even for the non-tech savvy consumer; a three year old can easily navigate
and perform computing tasks that were previously performed on monolithic
machines i.e. large and clunky desktops that were not Wi-Fi capable.
12. WHITEPAPER Enabling the Right Wi-Fi Experience - 09
Smartphone = x 24*
Handheld Gaming
= x 60*
Console
Tablet = x 122*
Mobile phone
= x 300*
Projector
Laptop = x 515*
*Monthly basic mobile phone data traffic
Figure 1 : Data Traffic Generation of Smart Devices
Source : Cisco VNI Mobile 2011
Convergence
Emerging technology of cellular and Wi-Fi integration help make
connections more streamlined and is common among operators that are
multi-play service providers that want to converge the fixed-mobile
experiences across multiple devices, multiple networks and multiple
environments. The amount of mobile data is expected to reach a whopping
6.3 exabytes per month by 2015 which will result in CAGR of 92%6 from
2010-2015. The stunning figures will require considerable investments from
operators in all aspects of network and infrastructure upgrades to
overcome capacity constraints.
Increasingly, users have been turning to Wi-Fi hotspot services, in part,
because modern day Wi-Fi can deliver carrier grade quality through
improved security features and reliability. Users enjoy flexibility without
usage cap on Wi-Fi and it is often bundled with 3G service plans. More
importantly, Wi-Fi offers faster connection speeds and the hotspot user
experience had been greatly improved with automatic sign-on capability 6Source : Cisco VNI 2011
built into multi-mode devices. The main elements of service that customers
13. WHITEPAPER Enabling the Right Wi-Fi Experience - 10
are looking for, includes good value, service reliability, integrity (no bill shock,
excessive roaming charges), to be offered what they want, when they want
it, for a predictable price, with the choices presented in a simple fashion
with painless activation.
Standards
The success of Wi-Fi is acknowledged by the industry ecosystem and is
reinforced through large-scale production of Wi-Fi chipsets into virtually all
consumer products ranging from smartphones, tablets, scanner, modems,
CE like cameras, set-top box, embedded telematics and automation
systems, smart metering and so forth. Compliance to a standard set of
technical specification and framework makes Wi-Fi widely accepted and
easily scalable. Wi-Fi being IEEE802.11 specification, has been ratified and
evolved by leaps and bounds breaking the barrier to adoption significantly.
Standardization bodies like WBA and Wi-Fi Alliance are committed to
simplify workflows, authentication, roaming and network selection
processes to make Wi-Fi realize untapped opportunities for carrying more
data and growing beyond the traditional domain of hotels, airport and
cafes. The second wave of Wi-Fi will come with even greater expectation in
the Next Generation Hotspot initiative which is already creating interest in
operators’ broadband strategies.
Growth
Shaping subscriber experience is imperative to extend revenues or create
new growth opportunities. Operators need to understand their customers
and markets to make the right choice for them. In short, their main criteria
are profitability, customer satisfaction and loyalty, the best use of resources
and the rapid, efficient introduction of new services. If operators are
determined to achieve reasonable returns to their stakeholders, they need
to drive incremental revenues and profits, hold onto their customers and
develop their relationships. Wi-Fi is a vehicle to create these services and is
touted as the “killer technology” to take a share in the next billion dollar
wireless industry growth.
14. WHITEPAPER Enabling the Right Wi-Fi Experience - 11
To tap market dynamics, operators must act quickly to transform their
traditional role of a “dumb pipe” to service centric provider that spells
“value”, so that customers get excited about. The user paradigm has
transformed into a new phase and demands more than connectivity. Wi-Fi
is made part of the user experience, whether directly or indirectly. For
operators, Wi-Fi is now viewed as a platform for service innovation and
revenue growth, giving rise to heterogeneous networks and it is the way to
evolve. Multi-modal content delivery over multiple devices with a single
subscription is favorable. According to a Strategy Analytics report, up to
60% of smartphone owners favor the flexibility of a shared data plan across
multiple devices (tablets, smartphone, laptop). Operators can leverage on
the underlying cellular network and fixed network to converge that
experience across Wi-Fi as Wi-Fi is well-suited to the demands of
applications that use data in bursts and for functions such as video and
music streaming (e.g Cable operators in the US have bundled data, voice,
content, Wi-Fi into their broadband internet plans, with nationwide
coverage over to cellular network or Wi-Fi hotpots. The same cable
experience is extended with newfound mobility to create ubiquitous
connectivity to multiple devices).
Loyalty
The importance of customer experience differentiation is no less important
than the performance. Loyalty goes beyond price and product promotions.
Operators must learn from maturing and best practices to generate the
“wow” effect; make the service as easy as possible in a single touch and
look for ways to maximize the lifetime value. The convenience and
accessibility to a variety of content is crucial in delivering the ultimate
customer experience. The essence of multi-touch, new user interfaces are
engaging users more than ever to try new things. A tactical approach can
be modeled on solid loyalty program that rewards its customers for using its
services. These rewards can be in the form of free downloads, equivalent to
limit of 3G that can be partially funded through content partners, advertising
and so forth. Simply put, delight them, win them and keep them. Create a
value proposition to satisfy the subscribers and use effective processes to
drive the best customer experience programs.
15. WHITEPAPER Maximizing Mobile Data - 12
Maximizing Mobile Data –
New Service Models
In the long run, Wi-Fi adoption will be a business strategy as there are many
key areas in which mobile operators can derive value beyond CAPEX
savings (reduces operator expansion of cost per bit) e.g. creating new Wi-Fi
access revenue, enhanced user experience, customer acquisition tool and
creating value added service platform in facing competition from
non-traditional companies entering the telco space. Mobile operators must
now get ahead and not play catch-up. Reducing time to market and smart
monetizing new service channels are high on the list of operator concerns.
Transparency is necessary for a truly meaningful mobile experience. The
ability to bring visibility to the user experience is game changing. The
institution of usage caps brings little meaning to the user, if it is not
communicated in a language that is understood. Only through smart mobile
measurements that operators can understand how subscribers use the
network. Similarly, users need to understand, where and how much data is
used. The simplest form of allowing the user to correlate the service plans
to the value offered is through a comparison of how many video downloads
can a 5GB limit allow or the indication of how many bytes it takes for an
email. This allows them to track their usage and know what it will cost for
any overages. By having a two-way interaction operators that implement
alert notification when customers have used a certain amount of data and
users having the flexibility to dynamically track usage can bridge the gaps
of service expectation.
At a certain point, operators will not suffice to sustain its business needs by
fulfilling the user’s communication needs, but shift the user’s wallet into
other areas like entertainment and content-based plans. Henceforth, future
price models can shift towards analytics which have intelligent data mining
to reveal dependencies on which and what type of device a customer has
and inferring from business modeling, the type of behaviors behind the
users. The long term goal is to keep the subscribers with in-demand
services and stretch the dollar further in CAPEX and OPEX.
16. WHITEPAPER Maximizing Mobile Data - 13
Diversifying Service Models
Dynamic Content to-go
Access to premium content is widely gaining acceptance as advanced
mobile devices and associated applications proliferate in the marketplace,
more and more users want content to go, high-value premium content such
as on demand movies and episodes of TV shows through partnership and
extension of services with content aggregator, to create yet another
revenue stream. The aggregator can offer a virtual catalog of hundreds of
thousands of movie and TV titles, all of which the operator makes available
for downloading or streaming by the user.
The lock-in effect to lure customers into a service is highly dependent on the
certainty that it brings value. When users are certain that a premium service
guarantees, they are willing to pay for it. Operators that can give the visibility
and transparency of service show it willing to delight their customers.
Implementation of tiered pricing to a particular application is a way to allow
users greater control over their behavior and some level of predictability on
the pricing mechanism; users can become disenchanted with bill shock.
With good practice, subscribers can then learn to adjust their usage within
their plan limits when they understand how applications are tied to a
particular consumption pattern. Consumers generally favor price plans that
allow them to control their expenditure.
Value Added Service
Consumers clearly will continue to use mobile broadband devices for
access to a growing array of applications and services. People want to
identify with favorites, for instance, social networking and video
applications, which they integrate with their everyday lives. In other words,
these applications and services provide value to consumers, above and
beyond access to the network. In addition to creating new revenue streams
and helping to reduce costs, value added service shifts the operator’s role
from just a utility provider of a dumb-pipe to an important partner in the
customer’s lifestyle.
The ability to create customized services that are content and context
aware gives insights to the customer behavior as the “value” to the
subscriber rise more new customers join the service and the customer
17. WHITEPAPER Maximizing Mobile Data - 14
lock-in effect kicks in and thus, eventually gives greater chances of
increasing profit. The other side of the equation is attributed to a heightened
sense of being able to do more with their devices. Given that service
providers are device, network and application agnostic, they present the
right conditions to encourage content diversification and innovation from
developers to be competitive. This can help create a sufficiently large
market perspective, while service providers can concentrate on delivering
the best service rather than creating stand-alone content platforms.
Enterprise Services
Enterprise communications are high value customers for operator models
and often have specific and unique requirements that are different from
consumer models demands availability without compromising security.
Unified communication, common in enterprise IT needs is rapidly being
embraced. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is gaining popularity in
organizations through multi-dimensional approach to integrate service level
and security. With greater adoption of such practices to improve
productivity and connectivity across multiple business units, the demand
for customized services must be addressed. Together with cloud solutions,
enterprise communication can diminish and reduce the fragmentation of
siloed systems while at the same time give a reasonable level of operational
efficiency to the operators and deliver by the same token of convenience
and performance to the end-user.
As more M2M solutions impact the consumer lifestyle through the
convenience it brings, such as mobile payments through NFC, smart
metering and so forth, the greater the impact it is on service providers to
leverage on the benefits gained through these connectivity into competitive
advantage over industry peers. Although the M2M value chain provides a
lower ARPU, but the margins are greater and thus, create a differentiated
enterprise business model from the consumer models. Most often, these
M2M solutions consume very little resources in terms of the bytes per
connection, and they are well predicted. When implemented in
well-structured deployments, it has the potential to touch and transform
multiple areas of an organization and generate sufficient business
intelligence to the core business processes. According to Yankee Group
report, it expects enterprise M2M connections worldwide to nearly triple
from 81.3 million in 2011 to 219.2 million in 2015, a CAGR of 22 percent. It
is still early to predict the contribution of enterprise models towards the
18. WHITEPAPER Maximizing Mobile Data - 15
profitability, but it is a clear trend, that operators are experimenting and
finding ways to diversify the B2C, B2B and B2B2C models to stay on top
of their game.
Big Data Potential
The potential for “big data” is encouraging content, internet applications,
and consumerization of Wi-Fi. Based on Gartner’s estimates, the potential
for digital products and services market boom is worth more than USD2
trillion in 2015. One may ask where would the mobile internet’s wallet share
be without the appropriate vehicle to drive its’ success? Wi-Fi is necessary
in today’s network than it was 10 years ago, when it was considered a good
to have technology that was a poorer cousin to cellular to provide coverage
deficiencies. As operators scramble to differentiate their services and
preparing for the unimaginable displacement of OTT players, Wi-Fi is being
pursued as a long term option. Mobile services will continue to dominate
with similar growth in the devices space as more and more sophisticated
smart devices are introduced. The video and content segment is showing
strong signs of uptake with greater CAGR of between 8 to 10 percent
despite trailing behind mobile services in the overall spending wallet share
and possibly eclipsing the mobile services in the mid-term, when voice,
SMS will become secondary.
Video Services
8% Fixed Services Predicted CAGR
2010 - 2015
Content 19%
0% to <2%
10%
0% to <2%
0% to <2%
0% to <2%
0% to <2%
Devices
28%
Mobile Services
35%
Figure 2 : 2010 Consumer Wallet Spending on Selected Digital Products and Services
Source : Gartner
19. WHITEPAPER Maximizing Mobile Data - 16
Emerging Technology –
Cloud Services, the Next Frontier
Different types of devices are turning into hybrid based communication
devices. Tablets and smartphones, in different forms and shapes are
expected to evolve into the portals of integrated services and applications.
With ubiquitous mobile broadband enabled internet access, connectivity
and networking is becoming less dependent on location and time beyond
the geographical boundaries. Wi-Fi is looking very promising in the lead-up
to the next generation hotspot 2.0 initiative. Standards bodies such as
Wi-Alliance and WBA are drafting technical specifications to expand the
Wi-Fi ecosystem to harmonized greater interworking with the visions of a
connected world.
It is inevitable for this growing trend observed in devices such as set-top
boxes, audio equipment and embedded connectivity in telematic systems
such as car automation, healthcare and point of sales terminals used in
retail. The hosted model of cloud brings promise of more efficient use of IT
needs served through cloud services. Big players like Google, Apple are
already offering cloud services for enterprise applications and cloud storage
for B2B and B2B2C. In our everyday use, we are already somehow in
contact with cloud services, whether we realize it or otherwise. Take for
example, the email service like Yahoo, Gmail is already run on cloud
platform, where the mailbox “lives” in the cloud and other IT control,
security and content are located on premise.
Given a sample respondent study by Current Analysis, there will be
optimism that cloud-based services for enterprise applications and storage
will continue to grow. Other areas to look out for include email and unified
communications. The alignment of application platforms and device
management provides cohesive information access.
20. WHITEPAPER Maximizing Mobile Data - 17
Hosted Virtual Desktop 7% 15%
Infrastructure a Service 21% 12%
E-mail Service 26% 13%
Vertical Applications 16% 19%
Desktop Applications 15% 23%
Security as a Service 15% 12%
Enterprise Applications 48% 17%
Online Storage, Backup 35% 15%
Unified Communications 17% 18%
0% 20% 40% 60%
N = 1000 Currently There Expected
Source : Current Analysis Analysis Enterprise Cloud Service, 2011
Vendor partnerships will get more involved. Operators have already
embraced network and IT outsourcing as one area for transformation in
their business model and processes. As innovations are made in network
architectures, partnership models with vendors will get more integrated. For
example, some operators in APAC with plans to bring cloud RAN solution
where a vendor provides equipment and the fiber connectivity between the
centrally hosted equipment and tower sites. Examples like this show that
vendors are demonstrating greater willingness for deeper relationships,
though operators are careful about being committed to single vendors not
only for equipment, but also for connectivity.
21. WHITEPAPER Conclusion - 18
Conclusion
Integration of multiple technologies is the norm in today’s networks. Mobile
and social interactions have gone beyond geographical boundaries. The
granular study of context specific interactions is becoming more important.
Harness the data and make sense and use of it. Segmentation of data is a
powerful tool to identify the right fit for business processes to work to its
best advantage and facilitate quicker monetization of new services. The
more information operators have about its customers, the more customized
the services should be. Operators are feeling the heat from the increasingly
tech savvy consumers.
The embedded mobile opportunities are plentiful in the areas of M2M
applications. The mobile space has evolved from connecting billions of
people to billions of devices. The shift of mobile dynamics is pushing for
greater need for efficiency, convenience and accessibility to information,
multimedia, marketing and business intelligence. Currently in the
marketplace, operators are recognizing the incremental value in product
information, engaging videos, exclusive deals, upgrades, or other purchase
incentive to drive revenues.
Integrating mobile services in the fundamental user experience is important.
The evolution of technology has fast-forwarded beyond the connectivity it
creates, optimized access and services.
Interactions and user interface compose of multi-touch points. It’s now
more about understanding the behavior and needs of customers and how
much value they derive from the service experience regardless of the
device, network and conditions they work in. The process of buying,
consuming and accessing information from smartphones and tablets is
revolutionizing the communications value chain. Companies of every size
and in every perspective have to start thinking about their customers in this
way and plan accordingly.
22. WHITEPAPER Conclusion - 19
Mobile operators’ once dominant at the center of the mobile experience is
being challenged by the increasing OTT players and other disruptive forces
that is influencing how consumers interact with their devices, products and
services; forcing them to look at new and innovative ways to drive long-term
growth. Whichever the motivation for deploying Wi-Fi, be it value
proposition in terms of price sensitivity, market leadership, interoperability or
scalability, operators are quick to embrace faster time to market solutions to
grow its business model. Similarly, consumers benefit from a connected
society that brings them closer to families, enriching their lives and making
it more efficient.
23. WHITEPAPER Stay Ahead with Wi-Fi - 20
Stay Ahead with Wi-Fi
Greenpacket welcomes you to embark on Wi-Fi solutions for optimizing your
network operations and drive revenue. At Greenpacket, we understand the
demands placed on Operators like you. Our solutions are designed to give
you the flexibility to constantly deliver cutting-edge offerings without
exhausting your capital and operating expenditures.
With Greenpacket, limitless freedom begins now!
Free Consultation
If you would like a free consultation on how you can apply Wi-Fi solutions,
feel free to contact us at marketing.gp@greenpacket.com. Kindly quote the
reference code, SWPS1211-B when you contact us.