Could a Mobile Broadband Service of 2Mbps be the Solution for the Digital Divide?
A fresh USO (Universal Service Obligation) concept was proposed by the interim Digital Britain report brought forth by Lord Stephen Carter that is expected to make it effectively mandatory for every British household to enjoy access to a broadband service at the speed of 2Mbps by 2012. Lord Carter had also put forth the name of mobile broadband to put effective leashes on any attempt by any ISP to monopolize the broadband segment through the latest fibre optic broadband technology.
Today, when one speaks about mobile broadband, the terms that instantly hit the mind of the common broadband customer are 3G, HSPA and lately LTE (Long Term Evolution). Lord Carter, although not being a common broadband customer also seems to be bitten by the high-tech mobile broadband bug. All thanks to his recent visit to the Motorola’s Swindon laboratory were final touches are being given to the LTE technology that is very much expecting a grand gala rollout very shortly.
However, there are many broadband experts in the UK who think different from the Carter ways. They still doubt whether the different mobile broadband services can be effectively used to fill the big gap. As a matter of fact, they too hold high regards for mobile broadband service, particularly for its accessibility, simplicity and cost effectiveness. The hidden danger, though hits when the user exceeds his usage allowance. Moreover, this technology is also subject to anomalies.
The predominant disadvantage of the mobile broadband concept is its instability in being connected for long periods. Secondly, it cannot be considered ideal for running most applications of low latency, such as multiplayer games. Then there is the disadvantage of mobile broadband suppliers forcing extreme compression of images with a view to increasing speed and saving bandwidth. Another glitch one can find with this technology is failing in speed that says, a user may only get speeds around 1Mbps even though the ISP promises a high 7.2Mbps. Finally, the practice of many ISPs that tends to restrict the users access to many vital applications, such as VoIP too can draw the ire of many exacting customers.
