From the end of this month mobile phone
users in the United Kingdom will finally be able to sign up to 4g
through the Everything Everywhere mobile network, with the remaining
networks offering competing services from Spring 2013.
This new mobile network standard offers
speeds as fast as a wired internet connection with up to 100 Mbps
download speeds. How will companies capitalise on the superfast
internet soon to be in the hands of consumers?
Live Streaming
The ease at which companies can stream
their own live-events to the web will be greatly enhanced. Just a
smart-phone and a tripod are all that will be required to stream HD
quality video online to be consumed in real time by viewers . This
opens up the possibility of live broadcasts from all manner of events
with smaller business’s no longer hindered by the requirement for
expensive broadcast equipment or a stable Wi-Fi connection.
Expect far
greater integration of live streaming in to the news feeds of search
engines and social networks as viewing live video over mobile
increases in popularity. Will Youtube be as dominant as it has in
recorded video or will a new rival take significant market share?
Mobile Apps
Mobile applications will be able to
become more data intensive allowing a greater level of interactivity
between businesses and consumers. No longer will a reformatted web
page be considered sufficient for a company’s mobile application.
Games and social interaction between users will become the norm.
Expect to see the integration of live feed customer support, an
increase in the complexity of social media games and an overall
increase in the quality of video and images accessed through mobile
applications in the coming years.
With download times greatly reduced
users will no longer have to wait until they reach a Wi-Fi connection
to download large applications, Live events or attractions can prompt
users to download an app as they wait in line or while there is a
natural break in proceedings, prompting even greater levels of
interactivity between brand and consumer.
Mobile Advertising
Screen real estate is in short supply
on mobile devices and so far this has meant key players including
Facebook and Google withholding advertising from their mobile
optimised websites. 4G could well offer a solution in the form of
interactive , high quality adds. With no buffering times to disrupt
the experience short videos played before entry to a site or
interactive features providing informative content tailored to the
users individual likes could become a real option for those companies
desperately seeking ways in which to monetise vast sections of their
business.
Those brands with better skills in
using film and animation to deliver brand messages will gain a
competitive advantage and because users won’t be twiddling their
thumbs waiting for pages to load, we might expect better click though
rates too. Brands that invest now in creating involving high data
content are likely to be better prepared for the new opportunities
that 4G could offer and gain significant advantage once critical
uptake of network is achieved in 2-3 years time.
Sam Wolf, Digital Account Manager at Liveinsights
