2010 July | Business Telecommunications

Archive for July, 2010

The Government has spent thousands of pounds developing new applications for the iPhone.

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

A Freedom of Information request revealed that development costs ranged from £10,000 – £40,000 for applications such as the Foreign Office travel advice tool and a jobseekers’ platform.

The most expensive application proposed was a Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) one that provides users with a ‘masterclass for changing your wheel’.

It is understood that this app would cost £40,000 and would also allow users to work out fuel mileage, act as a hazard light and track RAC patrols.

Other applications included the NHS Drinks Tracker and the NHS Quit Smoking apps both costing £10,000 alongside the Jobcentre Plus app to the sum of £32,775.

By the end of May there were over 53,000 downloads of the Jobcentre Plus application which allows jobseekers to research vacancies via mobile phone. So, it seems that this particular application has received interest.

However, at a time when the economic status of the country is unstable, the Government has been criticised for spending money on apps that seemingly make no difference to the larger issues facing the UK.

It is thought that many people who have struggled during the recession will not find comfort knowing that the Government has spent money on unnecessary applications. Popular opinion has taken the view that people were able to job hunt and change their tyres before the iPhone was invented.

Whilst the development of these apps is currently on hold, the future spend on iPhone development is said to be under strict control as the Government is set to cut all unnecessary spending in line with the budget.

Posted in Mobile Apps Review | 2 Comments »

Broadband has become ‘a legal right’ in Finland.

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Finland, the first country in the world to enforce broadband as a legal right for every citizen, introduced the law on the 1st of July this year.

Each and every Finn now has the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection, but the country has also pledged to connect every citizen to a 100Mbps connection by 2015.

Finland’s promise is very different to the one offered by the UK Government which has proposed a minimum connection of at least 2 Mbps to all homes by 2012. In contrast, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has not expressed a wish to make this a right in law.

The law in Finland now means that telecommunications companies are obliged to provide all residents with broadband lines that can run at a minimum 1 Mbps speed.

Finland has worked hard over the last few years to create what is calls an ‘information society’ and it is believed that up to 96% of the population are already online with only 4,000 homes that will need connecting to comply with the law.

In comparison, the percentage of the population that are currently online in the UK stands at 73%.

Interestingly, a poll conducted for the BBC World Service earlier this year found that almost four in five people around the world believed that access to the internet is a fundamental right.

Posted in Business Broadband, Telecommunications News | 3 Comments »

The rise of mobile app culture in the UK shows no sign of falling.

Monday, July 5th, 2010

With one fifth of smartphone users downloading more applications than just six months ago, it is clear that the app phenomenon is here to stay.

It is thought that in the future, mobile phone applications may replace standard browsers as the main access to the internet for British consumers.

Recent research undertaken by GfK NOP has revealed that Britons download an average of 15 applications per phone, keeping 12 of them and using five daily. The under 25s use the most apps on a daily basis with the most popular applications covering areas as diverse as entertainment, social networking, latest news and the weather.

The business market is also seeing a sharp rise in interest as more apps are released offering mobile versions of standard software, designed to help you work faster on the move.

The simplistic nature of applications will ensure that whilst consumers only use a third of their apps, there will always be a demand for more. This is further highlighted with the revelation that a quarter of smartphone users claiming that there is no limit to the number of applications that they would choose to store on their handsets.

Interestingly, one fifth of respondents reported that they would never be tempted to spend money on an application. However, the survey also suggests that the majority of consumers would be happy to pay, with half of those interviewed having already paid for apps which are generally valued between 50p and £5.

Whilst there is no such thing as the ultimate app, it seems that mobile applications that provide a service or lend themselves to being used on a frequent basis have the highest staying power and simultaneously, are more likely to entice a consumer to reach into their pocket.

As long as manufacturers continue to create applications that offer the correct user experience, they will be able to reach into the hearts, minds and wallets of smartphone users.

Posted in Business Mobiles, Mobile Apps Review | 2 Comments »

Unlimited data deals are to become a thing of the past.

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

The launch of Apple’s iPhone 4 last week also signalled the end of unlimited smartphone data plans from the UK’s top mobile phone companies.

Until now, many smartphone subscribers have enjoyed the freedom of browsing the internet for as long as they liked for a fixed monthly fee. It is clear that this is all set to change.

When unlimited data usage contracts first became available, they were designed for a far less data-hungry audience. Now, they are simply inadequate to cover the rising costs of data consumption rates.

Similarly, smartphones have proved more popular and powerful than anyone ever imagined. Coupled with a surge in the amount of data being consumed, the pressure has mounted and it now needs to be dealt with.

Mobile operator O2 recently revealed that data traffic on its network is doubling every four months. They also brought to light the fact that nearly a third of its data traffic is accounted for by just 0.1% of its customer base.

It seems that whilst data consumption rates continue to rocket, the revenue created for the networks in the UK is flat, creating a vicious circle. Ultra heavy users are costing mobile phone companies dearly and it is no longer economic to support the amount of bandwidth they are using at such cheap rates.

To address the problem, O2 have introduced a monthly cap of up to 1GB for data on new contracts. Alongside O2, Vodafone and Three are also announcing new monthly data caps on their own contracts with extra charges for those customers who continually use over 500MB a month.

This shift also coincides with the EU legislation that came into force yesterday. The directive stipulates that it is now compulsory for Service Providers to place a limitation cap of 50 Euros (ex VAT) per mobile phone for data usage whilst in the European Union unless a customer has specified otherwise. A number that reaches this limit will be barred for data use until the user has returned to the UK.

Whilst there is a small minority of heavy data users that need to be monitored, it is also important to note that the vast majority of customers are staying well below the level of the data caps that are imposed. The onus is now on the network operators to make sure they have processes in place to regularly update users who are approaching the limit of their data bundle.

Whilst this issue continues, one thing that is certain is that the demand for data consumption is only likely to increase over time.

In the future, it is predicted that many network operators will have to analyse and invest a lot of time and money in new technologies to ensure that they are able to cope with the demand from their customers.

Posted in Business Mobiles, Business Telecommunications, Telecommunications News | 1 Comment »

Afridoctor, a smartphone app offering health advice has launched in South Africa.

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

The application is described as a pocket doctor for those who can afford the type of smartphone required.

Created by Blueworld, the app offers a ‘snapdiagnosis’ service which allows patients to send pictures of their ailments to a panel of doctors who will then contact the sender with a diagnosis within 48 hours.

It is thought that the service will be able to help with external problems such as dermatological conditions or for stings and bites that are difficult to diagnose or treat without expert help.

As well as first aid tips and a symptom checker, other benefits of the service include a ‘find a doctor’ feature which uses Google Maps to geo-locate health services, hospitals and emergency clinics and a ‘distress’ feature which enables users to contact next of kin at the touch of a button.

Interestingly, by storing the mobile phone number of the chosen distress recipient, the next of kin will be notified of the phone’s location when the button is pressed.

Whilst Afridoctor was initially created for high-end Nokia mobile phones, the creators are looking into stripping it down so that the application is compatible with the majority of smartphone models.