We know that 3G networks capacity is burning hell due to over loaded response by consumers using smart phones equipped with video cameras, doing mobile uploads on social media. Just an example,YouTube uploads have spiked 1,700% in the first 6 months of 2009 and then its wireless data traffic whih is doubling every year and video traffic is growing at its fastest pace.
DIGDIA a research marketing research company finds that 3G networks at this moment are congested , due to a massive increase in demand for mobile digital media. This means that 4G Networks will have a better chance of filling the vaccum. Mobile WiMAX is first out of the gate in the U.S., and will establish itself as more than just a niche player, while operators who plan deployment of LTE technology race to catch up.
As a result, operators are imposing caps and policy control mechanisms while completely prohibiting some of the most popular place-shifting mobile video applications from their 3G networks. The imposition of disincentives on consumers will prove to be counter-productive. Voice ARPU for wireless operators has flattened or declined in recent years. Operators seeking revenue growth increasingly depend on new subscribers for data ARPU, which has increased an average of 25% from 2008 to 2009.
The solution, for operators and consumers alike, is more rapid deployment of 4G networks optimized for internet protocol traffic, with higher capacity WiMAX and LTE air interfaces. Mobile WiMAX service is now commercially available in several U.S. cities, while LTE only saw its first field test in Europe in June 2009 and will not be available in the U.S. until 2010.
For some leading U.S. wireless operators, LTE deployment is more than two years away. Chipsets and consumer electronics for LTE also lag WiMAX developments by two to three years. These challenges present opportunities for companies throughout the wireless value chain to develop devices, services and applications to meet consumer demand for mobile digital media.
