Mobile smartphone technology has reached a critical mass over
the last few years which means that London 2012 will be the first truly mobile
Olympics. We’ll be able to watch the events, tweet about them, share videos
over social networks and much more.
There are also apps for iPhone and Android users to keep you up to speed
on all the latest events and news.
What does this mean for your business?
It certainly means your business is going to use
mobile data in the summer like you’ve probably never used it before. In the UK, research suggests that more than a
quarter (28 per cent) of people plan to keep up with events online - via their
laptop, tablet or smartphone.
Our advice is to make sure you’ve factored for this
in your mobile tariff. Exceeding your
plan’s mobile data allowance, or worse still, browsing the mobile web with no
data plan can be a very expensive experience.
The demand for bandwidth is going to affect fixed
broadband services too, particularly during peak times. Businesses must recognise that this huge
demand for online services is likely to cause a significant headache for their
IT department. The official advice for
businesses on the London Olympics site is to devise a clear staff policy for
watching the Games, and to position TVs around the office as viewing points,
rather than having everyone watching on their individual computers.
It’s perhaps a good time to reinforce your HR policy on ‘mobiles phones & driving’. How many people do you see using their mobile phone behind the wheel, it’s not beyond the imagination for someone to be watching Usain Bolt sprinting down the 100 metres whilst they’re driving down the M6!
For advice on any aspect of your business communications, contact 8020 Ltd on 01387 250008.
Andrew Edgar
Managing Director
8020 Ltd
