Planning for Perpetual Connectivity
Last week, I listened in on the “Will Smartbooks and Media Tablets Change the Face of Mobile Computing?” webinar sponsored by ABI Research. While the presentation focused mainly on the market and projected growth for smartbooks, the material had a few key takeaways for independent ISPs to consider about the devices their customers are (or will be) adopting and what measures will be necessary to serve a perpetually connected customer.
The Alphabet Soup of Mobile Devices
Laptops, as we all know, are no longer the most convenient or the smallest devices to carry around. Now ultra-mobile devices (UMD) such as netbooks, smartbooks, smartphones and other mobile Internet devices (MID), mobile CE devices (like the Kindle and Sony eReader) and media tablets (like the iPad) help consumers work, play and consume digital content any time and any place.
Mobility Inside the Home
ABI Research estimates that 30% of U.S. households have a Wi-Fi home network. So first, ISPs can make it easier for customers to be mobile in their homes, whether they want to watch a YouTube video in the family room or read the NYT online in the back yard.
ISPs should be prepared to support home networks and connected devices including PCs, smartphones, storage systems, home media servers, TVs or other Internet-enabled devices. This extra mile service will help increase customer satisfaction, so you retain customers and boost revenues.
Mobility Outside the Home
Outside of the home, ISPs can help customers stay connected by providing access to Wi-Fi hotspots around town. Some independent cable and telephone companies have subsidiaries that offer wireless phone service. These services should be able to deliver mobile broadband – in all its 3G/4G/LTE flavors – that allows customers to use their smartphones, netbooks or MIDs to access the web anywhere they have cell phone service.
What’s Your Plan?
It’s clear that consumers, armed with one or more UMDs, will increasingly require anytime- and anywhere-access to a fast Internet connection. If you’re an independent ISP and you have a plan for helping your customers become more mobile, please share your insights in the comments section below.
And, if you’d like more information on the research ABI offers regarding mobile consumers, check out their 12-part Stay Connected Webinar Series.
Author: Paula Glover (40 Articles)
Paula serves as a consultant to ZCorum’s rural and suburban Internet service providers and is also involved in developing ZCorum’s corporate marketing strategy. In addition to blogging on marketing and operations topics, she also tweets as @paula_zcorum.