Wireless communications traffic limits 'will tighten'

e14news — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 08:26:09 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by e14news on 10/7/2021 8:26:09 AM
Download limits applied to wireless communications devices are likely to become "draconian" as usage increases, it is suggested.

Andrew Ferguson, editor of thinkbroadband, explains that rising uptake of broadband access on wireless communications devices, ranging from smartphones to tablet PCs, places new demands on networks.

"The recent shifting downwards of usage allowances by some mobile broadband providers suggests that possibly the honeymoon period for mobile broadband is over in the UK," he says.

He points to the fixed-line broadband market, where early years offered unlimited and cheap access.

Over the past ten years, however, he notes the introduction of fair usage policies and limits on download volumes in response to the increasing number of users.

Mr Ferguson also notes that the fixed-line market is much more mature than mobile internet has yet managed to achieve.

For instance, around half of all homes in the UK will soon be able to obtain broadband at 100 Mbps, whereas fourth-generation mobile access "has a long way to go" to equal that pace.