Recent research from Analysis Mason has suggested that iOS phone users consume more data than competing devices. Further, media consumption is significantly higher for users of iPhone devices.
The data is interesting, but the real issues are why and what can be done about this? One approach may be to ensure that an optimised experience is available to all users, irrespective of device. This can be achieved by delivering device-level enhancements to smartphone users that ensure an optimised experience, particularly when accessing or generating media content.
As operators start to leverage policy-enabled networks, they next need to turn their attention to integrating devices into the policy framework. By extending the PCEF to devices, operators can deliver fine-grained control of user experience for a wide range of different circumstances and applications.
If users have a poor experience, they will be less likely to consume rich data services in the future. But this can be avoided by getting it right first time or by offering appropriate updates to enhance quality of experience. MNOs can take leadership of this issue by offering such enhancements to their customers and delivering a fully integrated policy experience.
There will always be a diversity of devices, but it’s in the interests of MNOs to attempt to level the playing field, not by favouring particular devices, but rather by taking steps to enhance performance where it matters: on the user device through software that extends their policy framework and delivers a seamless enhancement to user quality.
