Mobile Broadband Spend up 40%

A new report published by Nokia Siemens shows that monthly spend has increased significantly between 2009 and 2010. The average monthly spend on mobile broadband in Britain, France, Germany and Spain has increased by 40% year on year. The monthly spend is a good indicator of growth as it measure actual usage of new and existing mobile broadband customers.

Nokia Siemens attributed the rise in spend to two factors: "Increased usage of mobile broadband among existing customers and higher penetration of the service in market segments with more disposable income." Bundled offers such as the many free laptop deals are also likely to be an important factor.



The report also found that a quarter of those who do not currently use mobile broadband have considered signing up. 31% of current users with a mobile connection intended to access the internet via mobile broadband more often. Depending on these user's contract this may involve an increased monthly spend.

Interestingly only 27% of those polled accessed the internet via desktop and standard laptop devices, a third of subscribers used a netbook or mini laptop. 25% used smartphones such as the iPhone and HTC Desire or other smart devices such as the new Apple iPad.

Making Your Eco Mark with Your Mobile and Broadband

With so much emphasis today on mobile phone technology and service, increasingly better phones and better services for them, it’s important that we learn how to use our mobile phones in a way that is environmentally responsible and careful. As mobile technology becomes more and more a part of our lives, we are responsible to make sure that we are doing as little damage as possible to our planet when using this technology or discarding older models.

There are many ways to be green about our mobile phone use. Some of them will be more plausible for your situation and personality, others less so. Do what you can even if it seems like very little. If everyone does their part, no matter how small, not only will the world be a better place, but it will last for a lot longer as well. Here are some tips for greener mobile and broadband technology use.



Recycle!
That’s right; we’ll start off with a no brainer. When your phone becomes old or you just have to have that new gadget recently released in stores, recycle the one you won’t be using anymore. This doesn’t have to mean giving it away to a homeless person or melting it down for parts. Recycling your old phone could involve good, hard cash! Try looking up your model on Envirofone to see how much it would be worth if you put it back on the market. Reselling your phone is just as green a way to recycle it as any, and the benefits can be even greener.

Alternatively, if there’s a problem with your SIM card or you need to change your number for some reason, see if you can keep your old handset and buy only a new SIM card. This cuts down on your consumption of raw materials and is a great, environmentally conscious way to save money.

Energy Monitoring
Monitor your use of energy with a website such as Electricity Monitor. You can compare products and choose the ones that use the least energy and allow you to leave as tiny a carbon footprint as possible. If your mobile phone uses too much energy, find out if you can cut the amount down a bit by changing your settings, or see if you can afford to invest in a mobile phone that uses less energy.

Green Apps
Really, apps for your smartphone that will somehow make you greener? Ranging from ideas and tips for a greener lifestyle and directories of the most environmentally conscious businesses in your area to product scanners to help you check the environmental impact of any product before buying it, green apps can be an essential way to make your lifestyle more environmentally healthy. There is also an app to help you avoid overcharging your smartphone, which could lead to unnecessary energy usage, and an app to help you become a better, more environmentally conscious driver. There is a full list of Green Apps over at Techcrunch.

Supplier Scrutiny
Do a bit of research on the various service providers available in your area to see which ones have the best record of concern for the environment. The best way to reward green companies is with your business and, although this may sometimes even cost a little more than sticking with the polluting conglomerate monopolies of the world, the peace of mind that you get in exchange, along with the knowledge that you are doing your part to save the planet, will be more than worth the extra expense.

Better Broadband
Find partnerships and businesses offering broadband services that donate part of their proceeds to charity. You can find one of our top overall picks at www.greenmobile.co.uk. Companies that are environmentally conscious not only donate a portion of their proceeds to green charities but also find ways to cut down their energy usage and provide quality services with the least amount of damage as possible done to nature. Many of these offer packages that include a pledge from their company to donate a certain amount to saving the environment. Some also offer on their website helpful tips for lessening your impact on the environment, recycling programs, information about their charity programs, lists of awards they have won, and more.

Guest post by James Helliwell of Broadband Expert

Ofcom Chief Warns About Overloaded Mobile Networks

Speaking at the Royal Welsh Show Ofcom chief Ed Richards warned that UK Mobile networks are reaching full capacity. He said that those in rural Wales are likely to suffer if the demand for mobile broadband and internet enabled smart phones continues to rise.



The rise in mobile broadband has overtaken all estimates in the years since it was introduced and now the popularity of smart phones is likely to add to the problems of the already oversubscribed networks. Only a small part of the digital spectrum is currently allocated to mobile broadband. This has left networks struggling to provide the bandwidth to support their customers needs.

“UK users are now seeing the beginnings of a capacity pinch, as data-enabled smartphones and dongles chew through media-rich websites and process more background traffic. But while demand is booming – mobile data usage has grown by more than 1,800% in the UK in the past two years – the frequencies, or spectrum, upon which it and so many other similar services are carried have not.
The laws of physics prevent us from inventing or acquiring new spectrum, but we can release spectrum used for other services.”

The statement by Richards follows the news that the Government's Digital Britain plan has been delayed by three years. The original plan was to provide "broadband for all" by 2012 but the data has been revised following cuts in funding. Richards feels that a larger section of the spectrum needs to be allocated to broadband.

“The switch to all-digital television, completed first here in Wales in March, has freed up some hugely important spectrum that could be used to increase the availability of very fast mobile broadband throughout Wales,” he said. I am absolutely clear that we need to get on and release this, something Ofcom has tried to do in the teeth of fierce resistance from existing mobile operators.

For consumers everywhere, the risk is of a slowing of innovation, and a possible reversal of the downward price pressure. And for users in rural Wales it could mean fewer options for solving their connectivity problems.”

News Round Up

Sorry for the recent lack of updates I have been too busy to spend as much time as I would like posting. I lieu of a full post here are some links to interesting articles I have read over the last week or so. There has been a lot of talk lately about the future of Broadband so there is lots to talk about!

• Mobile Phone company MTS, are to release thermoresistant SIM cards which are able to withstand temperatures from -40 to +105C. Handy if you live in some kind of freezing wasteland/ scorching desert.
• Ferrets are key to bridging the digital divide between cities and rural areas according to one Broadband provider. (Check the byline date)
• Broadband 'to reduce the gap between internet and TV'. Will the computer screen become the new television screen?
• Gordon Brown want high speed Broadband to 'prevent a digital divide' and yet Labour are trying to rush the Digital Economy Bill through through Parliament before the election.
• Ofcom wants cheaper mobile phone calls and easier network switching. In particular they may force providers to make cross-network calls cheaper.
• Bangladesh has blocked 1.5 million mobile numbers and tightened regulations for buying and selling SIM cards in order to prevent mobile related crime.
  

The State of the Internet

Here, for your reading please, is an interesting infographic about the state of the Internet in 2009. The data and fancy graphics are by Focus.

Edit: the image will not embed properly in Blogger so click here to view it.

Does Your Camera Need a Mobile Broadband Connection

Once upon a time you could only connect to the internet with a computer and the most mobile broadband got was moving your PC to the other side of the office. Next came wifi which allowed you to connect anywhere within your own home or even at the local coffee house. These days most people have a mobile phones capable of internet browsing with them at all times so that they can tweet after every bowl movement.



Now that we have the technology to enable small, portable devices to connect at relatively high speeds we can think about what else could be online. The benefits of internet enabled ebook readers are obvious but do you need your fridge to be online? Despite the risks of the Chinese government hacking into your kitchen devices there could be benefits- it could let you know if the temperature changes or if you need to throw out that cheese that is going green.

The number of mobile broadband enabled devices is expected to increase by a factor of 55 by the year 2014. This is likely to cause issues as the mobile broadband infrastructure wasn't built for this amount of traffic. If the infrastructure can be improved we might find that there are a lot of applications for internet enabled devices.

One of the most obvious devices crying out for a broadband connection is the humble digital camera. At the moment cameras are one step behind mobile phones in the it isn't possible to upload your photo directly once you have taken it (although some can handle a wifi connection). The question is are consumers going to pay a monthly fee to have their camera connected to the internet? Will they be able to choose from different providers? Perhaps we will end up paying a monthly fee for all of our devices (hopefully on an unlimited tariff).

41 Percent Say That Mobile Broadband is their Main Connection

Considering that mobile broadband has a reputation as a supplementary technology it comes as quite a surprise that 41% of people who took part in a recent Ofcom poll said that it provided their main connection to the internet. Mobile broadband is typically thought of as an additional way of connecting for those on the move but this has clearly changed.



Most mobile broadband users aren't as mobile as you may imagine, infact 78% predominantly use their dongles at home. This shows us that many mobile broadband users do not have a fixed line connection. The benefits of a mobile broadband dongle go beyond portability particularly for those who do not have a phone line or are looking to save money.

According to Ofcom thosed aged 15-34 are most likely to solely use mobile broadband with 1/10 having a contract. Less well off household are also going for the mobile option with those earning less than £11,500 per year often opting for mobile broadband only. Mobile broadband is clearly maintaining its popularity and looks set to overtake fixed line connections by the end of the year.

Pay As You Go Mobile Broadband Overtakes Fixed Cost

October sales figures have shown that for the first time pay as you go mobile broadband contracts have become more popular than fixed price contacts. According to Broadband-Expert.co.uk 53% of new customers in October chose the pre paid option. This is the first time pay as you go has overtaken fixed usage contracts.

Pay as you go mobile broadband has been increasing in popularity over recent years particularly with infrequent internet users. The ability to only pay for usage rather than fixed monthly fee means that the contracts, like those of pay as you go phones, tend to work out cheaper. They also offer an alternative to the 12-24 month contracts often necessary for prepaid mobile broadband.

Recent years have seen an increase in 'light users' who only go on line occasionally to check their email or use Ebay etc. For these people a fixed line broadband connection is an unnecessary expense and mobile broadband a suitable alternative. Pay as go go offers the most competitive deals and has seen its popularity rise during the recession.

The Decline in Home Phone Usage

The use of a fixed line home phone has become less popular as mobile phones have become more widespread. For many a fixed phone line is only necessary in order to receive broadband as calling costs are covered by inclusive minutes as part of a mobile phone contract. Those without an internet connection or with a mobile broadband contract may forgo having a phone line at all.

Not being able to make phone calls whilst on the move was the norm where now the idea seems strange. It seems odd to me that I once only had the ability to go online at home rather than being able to use an internet enabled phone whenever and wherever. The rise in email and applications such as Windows Live Messenger Mobile and the Skype mobile means that most forms of communication are always available.

"Having a landline is about having a commitment to place as much as anything. Mobile phones are about mobility in a much deeper sense than just convenience. It's about not being rooted in the same way as a landline, which gives a feeling of stability."
Ben Highmore, University of Sussex

In 2007 a survey found that 15% of households had at least one mobile phone but no landline. The recessions is likely to have increased this figure as households cut back on what they see as luxuries. Whilst most people seem to be unwilling to stop using the internet altogether mobile broadband can offer savings to those with less frequent usage patterns. Three million UK homes now have a mobile broadband contract and that figure is growing rapidly.

As a recent BBC article on the subject points out those in rented accommodation are reticent about paying £120 to have a phone line activated when that figure could pay for around 8 months worth of mobile broadband. BT is attempting to encourage us to use our home phone for important conversations. Unfortunately for them a lot of mobile phone contracts include unlimited calls and people are unlikely to pay twice for anything during a recession.

Three Mifi Mobile Broadband Router Goes on sale

I reported the launch of Three's MiFi mobile router back in August. The device is now on sale and Three have announced details of the price plan it is available on. Firstly a quick recap for those who missed the original post:

Traditional Wi-Fi connections are only found in fixed locations such as coffee shops, train stations or at home. They allow users to connected wirelessly but require a wired connection to a telephone line for the incoming signal. The Mi-Fi will use mobile broadband technology to connect allowing users to set up ad-hoc networks anywhere they can receive a signal.

The Mifi is currently available on a monthly rolling contract for £15 per month with a cost of £69.99 for the device itself. The alternative for those looking to simultaneously connect multiple devices is to buy several pay as you go mobile broadband dongles. Users of the Mifi only pay one monthly fee regardless of how many devices they connect.

More details about the Mi-fi including up to date contract information can be found on the three site's Mi-Fi page.

Business Mobile Broadband Sector Continues to Grow

The first section on the population to fully embrace mobile broadband was business users. Portable dongles were originally aimed at those who spend their life on the road going to meetings and needing to check and send documents on the move. A recent report by ABI Research has predicted that business take up will continue to grow despite the state of the economy.

ABI expect business subscriptions to increase by 17% next year despite many companies having to cut back on outgoings. It seems that mobile broadband is considered a necessity rather than a luxury. Eastern Europe and the Middle East have been highlighted as key areas for growth of the mobile data business market. Even subscriptions in the UK are expected to continue to rise in the coming years despite the recession.

Spotify Comes to the HTC Hero

The Spotify iPhone App was released back in July for premium subscribers. It allows users to stream an unlimited amount of free music via their mobile phone for £9.99 per month and includes the ability to create offline playlists.

The Spotify catalog includes over 5 Million tracks from 375,209 artists. Users can sign up for free although the service is temporarily invite only at the moment. Free users are unable to connect via mobile phone.

Spotify have recently announced that they are now working with Mobile Phone provider 3 to bring the Spotify mobile app to the HTC Hero. So far only customers with a HTC Hero on a 24 month contract will be able to use the app which is being launched next month.

Three also hinted that their deal with Spotify will eventually extend to other products including mobile broadband. Presumably Spotify streams will be excluded from monthly download allowances for mobile broadband customers. Three have previously embraced Skype's VOIP technology so they clearly aren't afraid to move with the times.

Prince Charles Concerned by 'Broadband Deserts'

The Prince of Wales writing in The Telegraph has expressed his concern at the lack of mobile broadband coverage in rural Britain. Charles, who set up the Rural Action Programme following the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001, believes that rural areas need high speed broadband in order to prosper.

"...there is no doubt that our countryside remains in crisis and we have to continue to find new ways to help. The provision of services – without which no community can survive, let alone flourish – must be central to our efforts. And it has become clear that one of those services – the lack of access to high speed broadband – is putting many of those who work in rural communities at a severe disadvantage."

Mobile broadband has been suggested as the solution to the problem of limited fixed line broadband penetration in rural areas. The Government's aim of 'Broadband for all by 2012' as part of the Digital Britain Report is reliant on increasing mobile broadband coverage. Currently about 2 million people in rural areas are not able to receive broadband of 2mbps or above.

The Prince said that access to broadband would help to support businesses, schools individuals in rural areas. He describes "broadband deserts" where no signal is available and warned that without broadband more farmers would have to abandon their livelihoods.

Mobile Broadband is Mostly Being Used at Home as an Alternative to a Fixed Line

Mobile broadband used to be mostly sold as a portable way to access the internet. Before the Blackberry became popular having a pay as you go mobile broadband dongle meant that you could check your emails when you were out of the office or on a train. Business men and women where the core market and you certainly didn't get a free laptop.

Recent research by Virgin Media has shown that 78% of their mobile broadband customers predominantly use their dongles at home. This shows how the mobile broadband market has changed; these days it is often seen as a cheaper and easier alternative to having a phone line. Why pay to have a phone line installed and then pay a monthly fee if you have an inclusive mobile phone contract? Why buy a laptop when you can get one for free with mobile broadband?

There are of course reasons why some people stick with fixed line broadband (lets not get into that debate now). People who rent or don't have much of a disposable income are increasingly choosing the mobile option. The fact that they aren't being as mobile with their laptop doesn't surprise me, particularly with the rise in Smart Phones that have a decent 3g connection.

3 Wins Best Mobile Broadband award

3 Mobile has won the best mobile broadband award at this year's Mobile Choice Consumer Awards. Three's 15GB tariff beat off the competition to take first prize for the best monthly package. Three offer a Samsung N130 netbook, mobile broadband dongle with 15GB data allowance and 100 free texts for £25 a month.

"We are delighted to be recognised as winners for our Mobile Broadband year on year and to be able to offer our customers deals that are great value for money," Marc Allera, sales and marketing, Three.

TheMobile Choice Consumer Awards also include categories for Phone of the Year, Tariff of the Year and Best High Street Retailer. The winners are decided by the readers of Mobile Choice.

T-Mobile and Orange Merger Could be Delayed

The merger of two of Britain's biggest telecoms providers is likely to be delayed whilst it is investigated by the Office of Fair Trading. The merger which was made public last month would create a company with a 37% stake of the mobile phone market in the UK and reduce the number of large providers to four.



The Guardian reports that the merger has been refered to EU regulators by the OFT and could be delayed. Consumer groups have been vocal in oposing the merger which they say will lead to reduced competition in an already limited market. Proposed reglations could mean that several of the main providers could be forced to sell of parts of their mobile spectrum to avoid any one company having too large a share.

The 3G spectrum needs improvement if the Governments pladge of 'broadband for all by 2012' is to be met. The Government has called on mobile broadband providers to increase their coverage to areas that cannot recieve fixed line broadband. (The Guardian article linked above claims that providers will have to 'plug the gaps in existing fixed-line infrastructure with wireless broadband'. They seem to be confusing Wireless broadband (which uses a wireless router plugged into a phone line) with Mobile Broadband) . If no single company is allowed a larger share of the spectrum this increase in coverage will have to have the backing of each of the main providers.

Carphone Warehouse CEO Charles Dunstone Says that 'Mobile Broadband has Peaked'

The CEO of The Carphone Warehouse (and Talk Talk) Charles Dunstone believes that Mobile Broadband 'has peaked' and is being deserted by consumers. Speaking to The Guardian he said that:

"We get a sense that the mobile broadband thing has peaked. We are seeing some of those people begin to realise that the bandwidth you get on mobile is so much less than you get on a fixed line. Mobile broadband is increasingly a supplementary rather than a substitutional thing, and an increasing proportion of Carphone sales are of pre-pay dongles."

I was amazed to read this particularly after a report released earlier in the week stated that mobile connections are set to overtake fixed line subscriptions by the end of the year. As I mentioned on Twitter Mobile Broadband take up has doubled in the past year alone which makes Dunstone's comments seem at best misinformed.

He makes a good point about a lot of mobile dongle sales being to fixed line customers but the suggestion that mobile broadband has peaked seems way off. Those of us who have grown up with mobile phones see little point in having a landline and if mobile broadband speeds increase it could do serious damage to sales of traditional broadband subscriptions.

Some of the networks are clearly struggling to cope with infrastructure not yet ready for so many connections and will be forced to improve. The pay as you go mobile broadband market is very competitive so whom ever can offer their customers the best speeds and most reliable connection is set to do well.

I would be very interested to see any statistics Mr Dunstone can provide to back up his argument. As ISP Review says "every other piece of research we've seen has appeared to communicate the opposite conclusion."

Mobile Broadband to Overtake Fixed Line Connections by The End of the Year

Mobile broadband subscriptions (including high speed internet connections on mobile phones) are expected to reach 600 million by the end of the year. Fixed line subscriptions look set to reach 500 Million. That means for the first time ever there will be more mobile broadband connections than those operating via a phone line.



The scale of mobile broadband take-up is staggering, the International Telecoms Union reported a 50% increase in subscriptions over the last year alone. Mobile subscriptions are expected to reach 4.6 Billion by the end of the year so clearly the percentage of mobile phones with high speed internet access remains low. Pay as you go mobile broadband and free laptop deals continue to grow in popularity.

the increase in connections could be negative for the consumer in the short term but will lead to improvements in infrastructure likely to benefit all users in the long term. Increased demand will see the current 3g infrastructure strained but improvements will be made. Whilst even the best mobile broadband can fall behind fixed line in terms of speed consumers will expect improvements and providers will be looking to proved them.

Three Offers 15GB Mobile Broadband for £15

Mobile Broadband provider Three are now offering 15GB of data per month for £15. The deal is avaliable for those who sign up to a 24 month pay monthly contract. This is perhaps Three's best mobile broadband offer for those willing to comit to a long term contract.

Most mobile broadband contracts offer around 3-5GB for £15 so this latest offer will appeal to those who are 'heavy' users. There is nothing worse than going over your monthly alowance and being charged an arm and a leg for a few mb of data so the 15gb limit will appeal to some.

Hopefully this offer will lead to a 'price war' between the main providers. If a company wants to keep its customers during such shakey financial times they need to offer great value epecially for luxurys such as mobile broadband. Three seem to know this, lets just hope the others are paying attention.

Vodafone Criticized for Download Speed Discrepancies

A recent report by Broadband Expert investigated the actual download speeds customers can expect to recieve with each of the main mobile broadband providers. It will come as no surprise to anybody that users are unlikely to experience 'up to...' speeds often quoted.

Vodafone in particular was singled out for criticism, not because their mobile broadband was particularly slow, but because they claimed to provide speeds of up to 7.2Mbps. Despite this tests carried out resulted in speeds of around 1mbps. Most providers quoted speeds of up to 3.6mbps about 3 times faster than the average speeds experienced during tests.



Vodafone's claims to offer speeds up to twice as fast as their competitors was disputed by Broadband Expert. Vodafone have responded to the report by claiming that "reliability and consistency were more important to customers than speed" which begs the question: why are they advertising such high potential (but unrealistic) speeds?

Whilst the best mobile broadband is reliable and consistent nobody wants consistently lower than advertised speeds. Mobile broadband providers should not, in my opinion, be allowed to advertise speeds that less than 25% of users can expect to receive.

This is not the first time Vodafone's claims have been questioned. An advert they created featuring a mobile broadband dongle as a rocket with the tag line "The fastest, most reliable mobile broadband in the galaxy" was disputed by the Advertising Standards Authority and had to be pulled.