It is said that 70-odd% of current data usage is actually on WiFi. Also, I cite the same two reasons from before: QoE and users not wanting to go over their mobile data caps. If would be really interesting if we could all see what the average smartphone data usage is like (noting that the standard subscriber package gives 500Mb). Very interesting indeed :)
Apart from Virgin, there are other WiFi players. I would expect WiFi to play a big part.
This brings me to the question....
How will wiFi and small cells co-exist? If the data plane (Internet access) is the main issue, why would a mobile operator want to have data traffic using up network resources (e.g. attach, default bearer to APN, etc.)? If they want users to use the mobile network (and not WiFi), then surely data caps are the stumbling block, no?
Which brings me to the question..... is the mobile data explosion really all that it's made out to be?
I wonder how much the free city WiFi networks -- as Virgin Media Business are building in various UK cities as part of a government initiative -- will take some of the data traffic heat off the mobile operators' city center macro cells? If at all?
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