It is official: Video Quality of Experience (QoE) is the most essential indication of overall network quality and a benchmark for service differentiation. In other words - for all you operators out there - if your subscribers do not enjoy their video experience, they will most likely blame you and either complain or, if it comes down to it, take their business to another operator.

Data usage patterns such as those collected by Allot’s Mobile Trends Report Feb 2013 tell us how people use their mobile devices – such as what applications they use and how their behavior changes over time. One element that necessarily remains out of the picture is how much more traffic there would be if subscribers did not have to worry about traffic caps. How much unmet demand is there for mobile connectivity? And how much money do operators leave on the table by not meeting this demand?

 

Most enterprises are familiar with this scenario: they purchase expensive software applications for installation on-site. They deal with a cumbersome and time-consuming installation process. Have a substantial IT department to deal with rollouts, support and maintenance of such applications. Know that the product is limited to the features inherent upon purchase. And, of course...

Increasing Demand Requires Greater Efficiency

Mobile Internet is EVERYWHERE. When we are not accessing it in public via cellular 4G LTE, we are using our mobile devices to surf on corporate Wi-Fi networks. But access is not always fair. Sometimes, we just want to quickly check our mails. Or launch a corporate app. And yet, we have to struggle with poor response times because someone is streaming multimedia. It is analogous to being unable to slake a fierce thirst because the hose is being used to wash the family motor home.

I’ve been thinking about how to wrap up my experience at Mobile World Congress 2013. The veteran editors and press professionals have already done that as they reviewed devices, apps, the cloud, LTE, and so many things that were discussed during this very special week. I was trying to see if I could learn from their style, but in the end, I’m staying true to my original intent which was to write about MWC from my own perspective and experience.

I’d like to share what I think is one of the big topics being discussed here in the past few days.  Yesterday, I participated in a seminar about "learning from consumer behavior." It focused on trends that can be identified in the mobile communications world.  The general agreement was that the trends pose an opportunity and a threat at the same time.

Yesterday, I attended a distinguished panel about ‘The Future of Communications” showing that in today’s communications, we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg of what’s lying ahead.

One of the most discussed topics here at this year’s Mobile World Congress is Cloud services. Operators are actively pursuing the cloud concept. I spoke with one mobile operator in particular who is already making the cloud a safe and friendly place for data consumers to store music, photos, documents and videos. And they’ve crafted new services that revolve around the cloud.

We live in the age of the Digital Lifestyle. We are always online, always connected, always available. We google everything, we shop, bank, plan our trips online and are constantly connected to people in various communities. We all know the ‘itch’ when we are not connected, even if it’s only for a short while.

LTE North America 2012 took place recently in Dallas, Texas. While the conference was very much a celebration of the LTE take-rate in the US – currently hosting 50% of the world’s 40m LTE subscribers – many of the operators in attendance were keen to look into the future and figure out what’s next.

Depending on which report you read, it seems video is currently responsible for anywhere between 40-80% of most operator’s bandwidth. Once we remove much of the vendor hype, the one thing all the reports agree upon is that video will continue to grow at an exponential rate. 

It’s always nice to pull the cork from a bottle of (good) champagne to celebrate a well-deserved achievement.  We were recognized as DPI market leaders last week (see here), which is a great achievement for Allot and is a significant milestone in our journey.

Last week, I was one of the lucky ones to represent Allot in its second year at FutureCom in Rio de Janeiro.  Since living there just over a decade ago, everything has changed - especially in the mobile world.  Brazil has evolved into the world’s 4th largest mobile market with over 250m subscribers and a growing demand for data services. Read more...

Customarily, I am the first one to join in when people start complaining about operator innovation.  After spending a couple of days with a bunch of mobile operators last week at Informa’s Mobile Data Pricing event, I’ve changed my tune and feel that actually – we have reason to be optimistic.  It seems the whole ethos of pricing is on the move. OK - so not everyone is moving at the same pace or even in the same direction, but the wheels have begun to turn. Read More...

Many marketing strategies for Value-based data plans are centered around providing more choice, increased flexibility and an overall better experience for existing subscribers, and on generating additional revenues from them. But Value-based plans are equally powerful in the preceding step: attracting new subscribers or getting feature phone users to move to smartphones. Read More...

Remember in 2008 when mobile data experts asked, “Who wants to watch full-length movies on their mobile phones?” Now in 2012 mobile video consumers are “surprising” us again. Read more...

 

The Six Golden Rules of Broadband Analytics.

We’re not yet half-way through the year, but it already looks to me as if analytics is going to be one of the year’s big stories, Read More...

 

Thank you for coming to see us at CTIA Wireless 2012 .  Read More...

In the picture: Eyal Yaron revealing the answer to one of the message-flow exercises.  

Following the release of the Heavy Reading Policy Control & DPI Semi-Annual Market Tracker, announcing a 35% 2011 market growth and predicting a whopping $2.7 billion Policy and DPI market by 2016, we wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate our own 36% 2011 growth. Read more...

 

I have worked with colleagues that can quote the exact frequent flyer mileage that you will accrue from flying a particular leg.  Really, select any origin and destination, he could tell you on-the-fly how many points you would get and how close that would take you to getting your coveted gold card.  Some people (not mentioning any names) live and breathe these loyalty programs. 

 

The new iPad, featuring a sharper (than HD TV, according to Apple) screen and a faster processor, is already causing some users to burn through their monthly wireless data allotment of two gigabytes in two hours of streaming video. Read more...

 

Thinking about the pace in which the mobile internet experience has changed, would make your head spin. How can operators ensure they are making the most out of this Head-spinning growth? Read More...

 

 

 

As 2011 draws to a close, it is time to reflect and look ahead at the dominant trends in mobile broadband. In 2011, the application revolution continued, and so has the evolution of mobile charging. Read more...

 

The annual Broadband Traffic Management show in London is as good a place as any to get a sense of the direction the industry is headed in—and it’s a sign of current telco sentiment that this year’s show might better have been called Broadband Service Management.

As a mobile data subscriber, I would like to know what exactly operators mean by fair use. Customers sign up for plans without clear information. When exactly do the terms and conditions apply? Read more...

 

For mobile operators, this is a crucial time to play a discreet, but active role in shaping win-win usage models that allow subscribers to maximize the value they get out of their data plan, while increasing the utilization of network resources. Read more...

Wi Fi hotspots have become a commonplace workaround for mobile data offloading, as consumer thirst for mobile data continues to grow. However, for Wi Fi to really deliver the goods operators will need to consider how to turn this solution into a viable long term strategy. Read more...

 

 

 

In July 2011, the GSA reported that 24 LTE networks have commercially launched in 16 countries, and they forecast at least 91 LTE networks will be in commercial service by the end of 2012.  There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that LTE is the mandatory next step in mobile networks evolution. However, there are a few myths related to LTE that I would like to challenge. Read more...

VoIP becomes the single fastest growing mobile app. IM market heats up, as new entrants take a 5% bite out of now-Microsoft's market share. Read more...

 

Net neutrality boomerangs at consumers when data-hogging stifles broadband providers

This week I was reminded of my favorite scene from the movie ‘Scarface.’ It is the scene where Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) is talking to the dead body of a gangster he had just shot. Reproaching the dead man, Tony argues the notion that this whole situation might have been avoided, had he not been provoked into shooting. But no, Tony says to the body, in so many (too profane to be quoted) words, I told you not to do it - but you did, and ‘look at you now!’ Read more...

 

I have to admit that as a marketing person I don’t spend enough time with customers.  Fortunately, last week I had the opportunity to make up some ground…