The World Cup is driving cellular data bills through the roof this summer, with a network analysis by researchers indicating a 40% jump in expensive video data usage during the tournament.
As fans take in highlights and even full matches via their company-paid mobile devices, mobility managers should brace themselves for bill shock at month end. Increased roaming charges for those on holiday are one concern, but the insatiable demand for video on the move could impact the entire enterprise.
Even without a major world sporting event, analysis shows that video is one of the biggest consumers of data on mobile devices, consistently accounting for 11% of all mobile data used on work devices. A mobile session on Netflix, for example, consumes 1GB of mobile data per hour for users watching a standard-definition stream. Bump that up to high-definition (as many will do now that more devices have retina or enhanced display) and data consumption rises to 3GB an hour.
With Summer’s arrival, thoughts turn to travels abroad. Amongst the sunscreen and the swimwear, essentials in many carry-ons will now be employer owned smart phones and tablets. In our always-connected world, employees are expected to stay ‘reachable’ on holiday.
Where mobile devices are concerned, personal and professional often blur and the lazy days of July and August can inadvertently amplify the effect. Whether absentmindedly searching for restaurants on the move, keeping the kids entertained on long
journeys, ‘content snacking’ on short videos, checking email, using Google maps for directions or just switching on data roaming to allow apps to update continuously in the background – mobile managers now face a sharp seasonal uptick in data bills from employees on annual leave.
If you’re concerned about bill shock during the World Cup, Holiday Getaways or other events this summer Spectrum’s Mobile Gateway sits between employee devices and the internet, allowing companies to manage how staff are using mobile data with data compression technologies.
To get your business started now with a free, no obligation trial contact Spectrum on 0844 856 3301 or fill in your details on our online form and we’ll get right back to you.
