News Analysis: With 4G mobile services quickly gaining ground across the United States, it's becoming clearer than ever that the enterprise stands to gain in a big way.
Whenever talk arises about mobile networks, it
immediately
turns to 4G connectivity. All the major carriers are thinking about it in
one way or another and before too long, a majority of mobile customers-both
consumers and enterprise users-will be accessing 4G service to surf the Web,
check e-mail, perform daily tasks and much more. Simply put, the 4G evolution
is under way.
Exactly what that means for the average company is something
that most firms are probably thinking about. After all, Sprint has been
doubling down on the technology for months now and with Verizon expecting to
have 38 cities supporting its 4G service by year's end, the decision to either
wait for more rollouts or access 4G now is something that businesses will make
sooner rather than later. Here's why 4G is the future of the enterprise.
1. It has speed on its side
The obvious benefit of 4G is that it can potentially deliver
more speed than 3G networks currently available to companies. According to
Verizon, for example, its 4G network can offer speeds between 1M bps and 12M
bps. That's a sizable increase over anything enterprise customers are using now
to access the Web from a mobile network. And considering speed will only help
companies, it seems that 4G is the way to go for most firms.
2. The carriers see value in it
It would be hard to say that 4G is the future if all the major
carriers weren't behind it. After all, if Sprint were leading that charge and
AT&T and Verizon didn't see value in it, few companies would care. But all
the major carriers are getting behind 4G. That's important. If the carriers see
value in it and they push vendors to support 4G technology in their devices, it
won't be long before the enterprise benefits.
3. Build 4G and the customers will come
As noted, Verizon plans to make its 4G service available in 38
cities around the United States
by the end of 2010. Going forward, that number will likely rise exponentially
as the company continues to invest in the technology. That's a good thing for
all stakeholders. It means that
as
more cities are supported, the likelihood of companies jumping on the 4G
bandwagon will only increase over time.
4. It will make 3G obsolete
Most companies invest in 3G technology right now, either
through their smartphone data plans or via plans available for other mobile
devices. But as 4G becomes more readily available around the country, companies
will have no choice but to adopt the new technology. Carriers will make 3G
obsolete, and the last thing companies should want to do is stick with an
out-of-date technology.
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