Macro Trends and Predictions in Mobile Broadband (Calling In Due To Volcanic Ash)

The mobile broadband industry is at a crossroads: the much-predicted exponential growth in mobile data applications is finally with us which is both a relief but has also exposed latent limitations in the capacity of existing networks at the same time as witnessing a substantial reduction in the price being paid per Mbyte for data services compared to the cash cows of voice and SMS. As with any emerging technology the way forwards is not clear. In a mature industry such as transportation, the performance and costs associated with the various options are well understood. Not so with mobile broadband - the range of potential solutions is broad and often unproven. To enable sustainable growth It is essential that the industry figures out what performance can be delivered at what cost. This will empower the applications community to develop applications that scale with the infrastructure to enable delivery of profitable value-added services.

This session will explore the macro trends in mobile broadband with a view to predicting from the long list of what is technically possible, those technologies that are more probable to be deployed.