Now’s the time to consider 4G

Ultimately, the 4G revolution will not be about speed. It’ll be about apps, collaboration and better delivery of public services. Organisations that plan for it now will see the benefits much sooner.

Here comes 4G. But how will it help with delivering effective public services?

The same question was asked about fixed line broadband, GSM, 2G and 3G. And remember when SMS was a novelty extra on a mobile phone?

Adopting 4G is not a leap of faith. We’re already in serious conversations with customers about how it’ll support their strategies for improving performance and service delivery.

4G – more than just faster connection

Yes, 4G will make things happen a lot faster – up to five times faster than 3G[1]. But ultimately, the 4G revolution will be about collaboration and a better service experience for citizens.

A more insightful comparison might be with fixed line broadband. What 4G brings is a broadband-style connection without the constraints of being tied to a fixed line or having to find a wifi hotspot.

Five reasons to adopt 4G this summer

1. Demand for workforce mobility is already beginning to outstrip the capabilities of 3G. We’re getting so used to working where we like, when we like, that we expect to access the content and services we need as easily as we can at our desks. At the same time, content continues to get richer, with video becoming commonplace as a way of communicating. 4G will make these services more reliable, accessible and practical.
2. Apps – the engines of mobility – are now prime front-line tools, from lone-worker protection to paper-free forms. Secure, bespoke, line-of-work apps, hosted in the cloud, look set to be the workhorses of the workforce. 4G will allow you to deploy apps with much wider capabilities. They’ll help to make workforces more effective, and allow them to deliver great front-line service to citizens.
3. You can roll out your WAN at the speed of 4G. Temporary control centres or service kiosks, connectivity delivered to workers’ devices on-site, rapid exchanges of rich content between blue-light services attending an incident – these are the capabilities that 4G unlocks. You can even use 4G as an alternative service while you wait for a landline connection to be installed at a permanent site.
4. The technology has been anticipated by some of the leading device manufacturers. Plenty of devices are 4G-ready right now, so upgrading to 4G will be straightforward. And with 4G mobile wifi devices, you’ll be able to connect other wifi-enabled devices to get fast mobile data speeds too, even if they’re not 4G compatible.
5. It all combines to create a fresh source of productivity, efficiency and service improvement. Your people are more mobile, with smarter apps, and with the ability to collaborate effectively, even without wired connections to key locations. So you can engage more effectively with citizens, empower your employees to work more efficiently and productively, and deliver outstanding service to citizens.

In today’s hunt for better ways of doing more, 4G is not the Holy Grail. It’s the first step into a new landscape. So get ready now for the next vital steps, by adopting 4G as the fast, agile way forward.

There’s plenty more to discover about 4G. If you’d like to join in the conversation, just enter a comment below, or visit www.o2.co.uk/enterprise/why-o2/our-network/4g