New online research commissioned by MACH, a provider of hub-based mobile communication solutions, and carried out by YouGov, indicates that there could be a large increase in the number of corporate users roaming with tablet devices over the next three years, posing new challenges for businesses and operators alike.
The research, which questioned 101 key telecoms decision makers within enterprises, found that 58 per cent of respondents believed that over 10 per cent of corporate users will be using tablet devices within the next three years. 62 per cent of respondents believed that this trend could pose a significant problem for their businesses due to the high costs associated with data roaming abroad.
Lokdeep Singh, Vice President, Technology & Innovation, MACH, commented: “The research shows that while businesses are clearly interested in the potential of tablets as a mobility tool, the cost of using them while roaming abroad is still a significant cause for concern. The issue facing businesses today is that the majority of roaming tariffs were originally designed for basic feature phones which did not consume much data. It is clear that this model simply does not hold for the new age of international data roaming that tablets and smartphones are ushering in.”
An additional issue facing businesses is that tablets are continually updating information, such as virus loads and operating system downloads, if not managed correctly – whether the user is aware of it or not. This can lead to IT departments facing much higher bills than expected for roaming sessions.
“If businesses are to reap the benefits of their staff using tablet devices when abroad, the very structure of roaming agreements between operators needs to change and operators need to introduce simplified, tiered pricing targeted at the tablet user segment. At present, business users are encouraged to look to alternative ways of accessing data when abroad, such as through WiFi or WiMax, in order to keep costs to a minimum,” Singh continued.
Technologies such as MACH’s Retail Roaming Solution and its new Data Roaming Engine, announced at Mobile World Congress 2011, are claimed to be able to help operators meet this challenge by enabling them to offer bespoke tariffs based on the type of device a business wishes its employees to use abroad – such as a tablet – while also offering them with a greater transparency of cost, removing the fear of bill shock.
Paul Merry, Senior Analyst, Informa Telecoms & Media, concluded: “The findings of this research have once again underlined the disconnect between how businesses wish to connect to data when abroad and the tariff mechanisms currently available. If operators move to more flexible tariff structures, this will stimulate roaming traffic on their networks and thereby maximise an important revenue stream. With the right approach to inter-operator tariffs, everyone is a winner – the operators through increased revenue and businesses through affordable and transparent data roaming plans tailored for the latest range of mobile connected devices.”