Ordinarily I’d know better than to discuss religion or politics, but I can’t help breaking convention this week. The top story – how the government is cracking down on so called ‘notspots’ by proposing to oblige mobile operators to share each other’s networks and infrastructure. Currently these partial coverage spots affect a fifth of the UK and Culture Secretary Sajid Javid is determined to change this by introducing a national roaming law.
What else has been hitting the headlines in the mobility world this week?:
- From notspots to hotspots… Recent research by iPass has shown that there is one Wi-Fi hotspot for every 150 people worldwide. Currently the UK has one hotspot for every 11 people, coming second to France. By the end of 2014 there is expected to be 47.7 million global public hotspots, and in the next four years this will grow to more than 340 million. Check out this interactive map showing the growth, which includes homes, retail outlets and planes.
- Speaking of planes, Emirates has announced that it will invest £12.5 million annually to provide inflight Wi-Fi. Rather than a new revenue opportunity, Emirates’ President Tim Clark stated “If we can offer good quality Wi-Fi connections for everyone onboard at no charge tomorrow, we will do it”. Providing low cost, or free Wi-Fi for passengers is something of a theme for the transport industry, as Virgin Media announced it is now providing free connection at 150 London tube stations.
- Making work easier on the move is at the very heart of any mobility strategy, which is why Samsung will be supplying 4,000 of its Galaxy phablets to West Yorkshire Police to make life easier for officers on the beat. Specially designed apps will allow officers to remotely record crime without returning to the station to complete paperwork. The deployment will increase the effectiveness of front-line policing, allowing the force to increase its presence and visibility on the streets.
Let us know your thoughts on this week’s mobility news roundup. Do you find yourself stuck in notspots? Do you use public hotspots? How soon do you think it will be before free inflight Wi-Fi becomes the norm? Let us know by commenting below or tweeting me personally at @GrahamFranklin or Cisco at @CiscoUKI.
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