Today’s network users take it for granted that they will experience a certain level of network quality. This can be seen through the frustration experienced when services (or connectivity) don’t deliver the expected experience – whether it’s because streaming is buffered, or because calls can’t be made, or, in more extreme cases, if alarms from remote IoT devices can’t be received in the appropriate timeframes.
Put simply, quality is an expectation. It’s one well-recognized by MNOs. And, it’s also long been a goal of MNOs to offer services that are differentiated by network quality. Some pioneers sought to offer enhanced performance for gaming users by offering upgrades to standard packages. Others, for better streaming – with options for in-service upgrades during live events.
However, few of these offers endured – they hit the headlines then, well, they hit the buffers. But as service innovation has leaped ahead, an increasingly interesting array of opportunities has emerged.