Convergence Conversation

Convergence Conversation Debates The Future Of Mobile Broadband

I was really privileged to have been part of the stimulating discussion that took place at the most recent Convergence Conversation, held tonight at Olswang, London.

Particularly interesting was a clear recognition that the adoption of mobile broadband is intimately linked with how consumers really want to use their mobile phones (if they know what they want yet, that is) and whether the adoption of mobile broadband - and associated services - can really accelerate given the current European mobile landscape.

The catalyst will not be the development of 'made for web' handsets - although they have certainly started to get people thinking about what more they can use their devices for. No, to my mind the single biggest inhibitor of the growth of this market is cost! Using your mobile to do anything other than texting or calling is prohibitively expensive and, unless you have an iPhone, a pretty unsatisfying experience. Make it accessible to people, dispel the worries and misconceptions that have arisen as a result of ringtone subscription scams, and mobile broadband consumption will explode.

Another interesting point, made by Mark Grundland from Roleplay Technologies, was the issue of storing the data that we download - good point! When we can finally download to our hearts content, where can we keep it? How can we store it sensibly, alongside our other electronic data, and access it quickly and easily? That's the next stage in the debate - and one I can't wait to be involved in.