The Hidden Cost of — and Potential Opportunity in — LTE 4G
Are you a lucky new iPad owner who has been enjoying its LTE capabilities? Have you noticed you’ve chewed through your data plan more quickly than anticipated? You’re not alone. Apparently, it’s a pretty common problem, because users aren’t used to such responsive wireless connections. But there may be more to this, and even a bit of channel play. The VAR Guy has some ideas..
A tip of the hat goes to The Wall Street Journal, which offered a look at users who have been gobbling up their gigabytes faster than they realize. The major culprit is actually video. Thanks to the zippy speeds of the 4G networks, users are unaware how much data they’re actually downloading, suddenly realizing in a matter of days or hours their limit is up. What WSJ didn’t note is that many video streaming sites can detect bandwidth capabilities and adjust the video quality accordingly. Higher-quality video plus fast download speeds equal an empty data bucket much sooner than anticipated. Consider that The VAR Guy’s PSA for the month.
But The VAR Guy also thinks LTE proliferation on the iPad has some channel play. MSPs and VARs offering hosted solutions might want to consider two paths: Offer unique services that leverage 4G speeds and can deliver unprecedented mobility such as virtual desktop infrastructure or cloud apps, or — a more unusual approach — crunch down the data enough that you can advertise wireless use for hours on end without eating through data. The latter is already practiced today, but the former may come to fruition.
Our resident blogger admits it’s all food for thought right now, but it’s a tasty meal worth thinking about. If 4G speeds can deliver high-quality streaming video, there’s no telling what the channel can deliver as mobility takes off.
