Saturday, March 18, 2017

Freemium: Get 1GB of Web Data on Your Cell Phone?

What a pleasant surprise. Those who do not live in large urban centers are used to take a little longer to receive advances in it comes to deployment of networks, and accept as normal that, in this case, the 4 G is deployed first in those areas with the largest number of people, by a simple economic approach. The case is that the day I went to an area of the city to address an issue and after concluding that the bulk of those who have a Smartphone do compulsively did: looking at the screen. A couple of emails, some other whatsapp... turn off the screen. But a moment. There was something odd, as a reminder in the retina of something that did not fit on the screen of my Smartphone. Turned on again and indeed, there was the small icon of the 4G in the top left corner of my iPhone. As I say, the joy was great, and the first thing I did was to carry out a test of speed: the results were not to uncork champagne, but it was clear that it was a beginning and that the records would gradually improve.

It was to terminate the test of speed and got the fateful SMS from Movistar announcing that it had consumed 80% of the total of the data plan, and they still remained 15 long days ahead to complete the billing cycle and ' reload ' the bonus. At that moment I saw it clear: the problem was not in fact, speed or quality of connection, but the volume of data that is offered by default to the client. Well, for once the quantity was more relevant than the quality. The enthusiasm of the 4G lasted me that lasts the test of speed best cell phone plans In reality the speed was the same, the problem is that with a 1 GB of data, the standard taken by the operators does not for absolutely nothing in conventional mobile phones. And operators skillfully used their resources to defend and pass try scratching more than our wallets. Let us know how. 

Aside from speed, as we have said before does not make much sense when there is 'fuel' to take advantage of it, the key issue is to understand what is happening in our pockets distressed until the end of billing cycle you live, and what is more interesting, what implications in the use of the terminal has this to the desert prepaid sim card usa I don't consider myself a particularly intensive user of the mobile and the applications that I use most are social networks (in my case Instagram and Twitter basically), WhatsApp and e-mail. And yet, there is no month not received the fateful SMS from my operator announcing that I have exceeded 80% of the bonus data. I think the biggest concern, and not only for users but also for manufacturers, is that much of users such as who writes you is beginning to use the Smartphone with fear cell phone companies I'll give you an example: If someone sends me a video by WhatsApp or e-mail, nor I can think to open it in mobile data connection. This is very significant: somehow, the limited capacity of the bonus data completed by conditioning the use I make of the mobile. Is there anything more startling than this for a manufacturer that devotes billions to improve the performance of the terminal? Freemium

In other words: Apple, Samsung and Nokia, among others, are reeling is the brains to offer the user a wide range of benefits that ultimately the Subscriber to the network can not enjoy them because go begging each mega discharging network. Against this background, the first thing I did, and I guess that many as I did something similar, was considering an extension in the bonus data to discover that they sell it at price of eels. In the case of Movistar, extra data sale for 10 extra euros, a sum that does not correspond to anything with the real need to consume them, and thus we return to the starting square: have a Ferrari in our pockets with Scooter wheels and all so happy. If someone chooses to run a bit, not much, the operator rubs his hands and enter a juicy extra without hesitation. This sad reality makes users, I will not say advanced, they take advantage of the potential of your Smartphone cheap cell phone plans search desperately for WiFi zones to attend without fear of some applications or videos. So... for what 4G? Only you can make things worse.  


So it is surprising that some of the operators already offering this technology in Spain advertise its advantages possibilities such as "watch a movie" really? with 1 GB?. best unlimited data plans And now that we are talking about operators, they can wash their hands calmly in the matter because statistics give the reason: the bulk of its customers, measured in terms of media, not neither reach the 400 MB of data consumed per month. And the data is real. What is happening? In reality, anything that we didn't know: most of the mobile users use it to make calls and send messages, at most. A bit of WhatsApp to count. Although in our environment we have accustomed us to coexist with users like us, that we take advantage until the last provision of the mobile, the majority remains stuck in more basic functions of the same. Put another way: Although the operators we include as a core of users, among their subscribers there are actually two distinct profiles that make radically different mobile phone use. And this strategy not going badly: Bill the extra data, as we have seen, price of gold for the elite that wants it invested in a mobile range high profitability.

What happens is that up to this vision of the market has its days numbered. It is expected that in United States users consume media 6 GB of data per month in 2017, but there pricing plans are already adapted to another reality and good part of subscribers used without fear their mobile phones
from Verizon Wireless. In that case, yes 4 G deployment has relevance. But we must go further: why not enjoy an unlimited bandwidth in mobile? It would be, of course, the most logical choice to serve without fear of all the advances in technology that are living and those who remain to be seen (wearables, Google Glass, etc...). The question is how to achieve a balance that allows operators to do business by offering reasonable amounts for the pockets of users. What is clear is that today, for an advanced user of the mobile, with 1 GB does not have not to start.