24
NOMADIC LIFESTYLE TABLETS CAMERAS HEADPHONES SMARTPHONES PROTECTIVE CASES IFA iZONE iSPORT eHEALTH BYOD FAILS TO FLY IN EUROPE BYOD — bring your own device — is one of the most significant trends to have hit the enterprise mobility market. But according to Strategy Analytics, the EMEA region has so far stood back and its operators are missing out on the revenue that could be generated from embracing the trend. Compared to the North American and Asia Pacific regions, where BYOD volume exceeds 80% of all business smartphones purchased either for or by business users, Europe’s BYOD volume will be less than half of its business smartphone sales in 2013, according to Strategy Analytics’ latest forecast. And it is primarily the operators that are holding it back. BYOD is often believed to be a win-win for all involved, but it faces resistance in Europe from every direction. European operators see BYOD siphoning revenue away from the stability of their corporate contracts and most are also hampered by separate billing systems for commercial and consumers. Enterprises, meanwhile, are protecting the operatorsupport commitments that only come with corporate contracts, which get smaller as BYOD expands. And end-users don’t like the usage restrictions they would need to follow in a region where roaming still delivers bill shock. Mobile Comes Home Connectivity drives mobile interaction any time, any place, anywhere In the past, mobile devices were thought to be our companions when out of the home — and they still are. But today, a large percentage of our interactions with these devices takes place in the home. So in this sense, we refer to a gadget we can carry with us and use anywhere and everywhere as a ‘mobile device’. While TV manufacturers are experimenting with ways to interact with the internet using smart TVs, our interactivity with the virtual world still tends to take place via a mobile device of some kind. “(…) our interactivity with the virtual world still tends to take place via a mobile device of some kind.” Recent research from Strategy Analytics' Digital Home Observatory, entitled Online Video Lead Adopters Bypass The Smart TV With Personal Devices, looked at how the behaviour of eight advanced user households had changed over the past three years as new connected TV technologies arrived. Even though half of the sample had acquired a smart TV in that time frame, no one was found to be using it as their main source for connectedmedia entertainment because they found tablets, smartphones and other connected TV devices easier to use. Meanwhile, early adopters who had not yet purchased a smart TV were concerned that these products were not ready to deliver an adequate experience, and were happy to continue to use other connected devices instead. The study concluded that, while traditional TV would continue to play a key role in domestic lifestyles, people would increasingly rely on the convenience of personal devices and OTT TV/video services to support their entertainment needs. So in years to come, even though users will become more accustomed to smart TV and useful applications will undoubtedly be added, what’s sure is that the mobile device will also be an integral part of the scenario. FULL SPEED AHEAD Download speeds are growing dramatically, with almost 30% of plans now 4G in the OECD countries. The most recent mobile broadband pricebenchmarking results from Strategy Analytics show average download speeds now stand at just under 33 Mb/s, largely as a result of the increased availability of 4G services across the OECD countries. But while 4G services have pushed speeds up, the pricing of 4G remains in line with 3G. A tablet user requiring 5GB of data per month will pay on average 35% more for a 4G service than a 3G service, but the plan speeds will be almost five times as fast. In this section we also look at the growing market for compact system cameras (CSCs) and the flourishing headphone sector. Analyst Halvor Sannaes said: "Although 4G services are more expensive than 3G services, the speed differential is much more significant than that of price. Furthermore, we expect the price gap to decrease over the coming quarters.” www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 9 th September 2013 25
