Mobile Internet Restrictions

Here we go. Just as smartphones begin to get popular, the network providers begin to clamp down on the amount of time you can spend surfing.

But far from just an inconvenience, this encapsulates a bigger problem that the providers would prefer to go away: mobile internet capacity.

Telecoms infrastructure planning is just not as much fun as devices and gadgets (and nor is it as profitable), so whereas the smartphone manufacturers keep on developing increasingly powerful and wonderful toys, mobile internet capacity is struggling to keep up with demand.

It happened when the home internet was just beginning to take off and eventually the likes of BT had to admit that even though the marketing had focussed on getting people signed up to Broadband, the actual cabling and network was a few years behind. Things have improved dramatically since them, but some experts are regularly warning that unless the UK bites the bullet and installs a modern, fibre-optic network, the Broadband speed in the majority of the UK will be embarrassingly slow.

And now the same thing is happening with mobile internet. Smartphones are smart because they can plug their user into the matrix. And once you can download East Enders on the way home from work, you’re not going to appreciate being told to limit yourself to one episode a week, or pay more.

It’s 02 which has triggered the nay-sayers. Many see the recent announcement from the company of its new pricing model as the thin end of the wedge. Because cut away the corporate pillow talk and its all about ending the unlimited data tariffs for those using smartphones. Now a basic data package will be provided and then data ‘Bolt-Ons’ will be available to beef up the allowance.

The days of unlimited data for smartphones are numbered. And in a way, who can blame the providers? 02 will just be the first of many to turn off the free tap. Data usage is dramatically increasing and the provision of network capacity is very expensive.

So we’re back to the usual position. Infrastructure has yet to catch up with demand and whilst that vacuum exists, providers will have to protect their balance sheets. Only when the base hardware catches up, will goodies like unlimited data packages be back again.

Long live the smartphone; just be prepared to pay for the priviledge of having one.