5G roadblock: labor

Sat Jan 4 04:44:02 UTC 2020

On 3/Jan/20 15:56, Shane Ronan wrote:
> In locations with high population densities, there is nothing you can
> do to LTE to provide adequate service.

But doesn't it, then, follow that high-density locations tend to have
plenty of wi-fi? Public and private?

For me, the risk I see to MNO's is that the kids don't want to pay for
data. Data is the limiting factor for kids that don't understand why
they should be limited when they are not in their homes, or friends' homes.

In my mind, rather than spend more cash on 4G or 5G (in 2020), MNO's
might do better to deploy SP Wi-Fi so that they can do two things:

  * Offload traffic from valuable GSM spectrum and on to wi-fi.
  * Be in a position to offer unlimited services more effectively, which
    is what the kids really want.

Looking at where things are going right now, the current MNO model is
not sustainable, given the amount of capex that is constantly required,
the declining margins, the change in the kids' online behaviour and the
constant (or even rising) equipment costs from vendors.

If the MNO model of pure infrastructure play is how they intend to keep
doing business in an age where transformation away from it is forcing
networking businesses to re-think the (true) value they offer to
customers, SP Wi-Fi seems like the logical way to maintain said business
model. Either that or pull an Amazon and go from selling books to...
well, you know the rest :-).

Mark.
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