Around the World

TM Forum Online Community…
Caps Off To Aussie ‘App Cap’ Initiative
A TM Forum online community member contributed a blog post on a recent interview with Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) chief executive Chris Althaus. Althaus believes that Australian mobile users need to step back, monitor their data usage on smartphones and manage their spending to avoid ‘bill shock’. A recent paper from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that 57% of mobile cap users did not monitor their expenditure between bills; 33% of users said they “cannot be bothered” in monitoring their spending, 19% said they did not exceed their cap, and 26% had “low usage”. Communications service providers (CSPs) need to step in and provide its end-users with services to better manage their plans. Check out our last “Around the World” post for Tony Poulos’ thoughts on this topic. The AMTA also put together some helpful tips for Australian mobile users to ensure that they follow the actions Althaus mentioned.

Connected Planet…
How To Meet Massive Demand For Mobile Data
Dan Warren, director of technology at the GSMA, contributed an interesting article to Connected Planet. Looking at the demand for mobile services and how service providers need to handle this influx, Warren offers readers two suggestions—update old configurations and make apps more frugal. While the demand for data services certainly presents mobile networks with challenges, he suggests that operators “can and will adapt”. He also leaves us with some food for thought—“rather than being seen as a harbinger of doom, the rapidly rising demand for mobile multimedia should be celebrated as the dawn of an exciting new age for the cellular industry”—which we couldn’t agree anymore with.

Voice and Data…
What Enterprises Want from 3G, WiMAX and TD-LTE
Beryl M. of Voice and Data reports that, in the next twelve to eighteen months, enterprises in India will have the option to pick up 3G, WiMAX and TD-LTE (4G)-driven broadband connectivity and other enterprise mobility solutions. This is the first time that three competing and complimenting technologies will land in the Indian telecom market at about the same time. The article continues by examining the opportunities and challenges each of these technologies will present and explaining enterprises concerns about them. Are there any other opportunities and challenges that were not discussed in this article? Share them with us.