Mobile Network Comparison

Francis West is urging for greater cooperation in humanitarian efforts so that technology can make the biggest positive difference possible. In an article in today’s Guardian, the senior advisor of the charity Save the Children, explains how mobile technology isn’t a panacea that will ensure the success of humanitarian projects. Instead, far greater and more effective collaboration is also required to make the most of mobile phones in disaster areas.

The article is sponsored by Adam Smith International and describes how the potential of mobile phones to make a difference has not yet been fully realised. There is still a lot more work to do to make the most of this technology. A new report funded by Vodafone argues that better cooperation between NGOs, the private sector, governments and charities will make the biggest difference in helping out during disasters.

Francis West explains how mobile phones have made a massive difference in areas such as the fight against cholera. This deadly intestine infection causes over 100,000 deaths a year still and is very common in third world countries with unclean water supplies. Untreated outbreaks often develop into pandemics. In Haiti, a report by the American Journal of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that mobile communications and social media dramatically helped against the spread of the disease when compared to older methods.

Since then, the proliferation of mobile phones in developing countries has helped in other similar instances. Nowadays almost 80% of the developing world have mobile phones. But an important factor that hasn’t been adequately addressed is accountability. In humanitarian work, mobile phones excel as they allow access to instantaneous information assisting in triage and assessing the most pressing needs. Part of this is ensuring that the most vulnerable to actually have access to mobile phones and functional networks. The best solution is to oblige mobile phone companies to divert capacity to the most remote or damaged areas during emergencies and for government bodies to prioritise bringing mobile networks back up in their initial disaster-response plans.

Another important issue for consideration is being prepared. It is vital that sufficient training is in place to make the most of this powerful technology. As communication is so quick and easy with mobile phones, it’s important that people know how to use it in the best possible way. Similarly, it is absolutely imperative that the hierarchical structure is optimised for this. Without preparation, mobile technology can cause even great confusion and an disjointed emergency response. All organisations from the private sector to governments should investigate the appropriate training in advance.

Finally, a charitable spirit and helpful collaboration can make huge differences on the ground. For example, mobile phones are frequently used nowadays to collect and coordinate urgently needed donations as well as distribute money. With advanced coordination of policies for reducing costs such as transfer fees in the wake of a disaster, things can be massively sped up. There is no point having mobiles provide an instant means of communication if discussions for services fees take hours or days to be fleshed out.

What the research shows us best is that mobile phones and technology alone will not improve people’s lives or disaster response on their own. What is also needed is forward-planning and motivation to remove structural and systemic obstacles that still impede good work.

What do you think? Have mobiles revolutionised disaster response and the way we can help in humanitarian disasters? And what more can be done to make their use more efficient?

O₂ have just launched a new app for smartphones and tablets that makes getting connected to public Wi-Fi a whole lot easier. The O₂ WiFi app allows you to take advantage of free Internet access when in a Wi-Fi location without the need for pesky usernames and passwords. The idea is to make getting connected when out and about simpler and quicker.

All you need to do is download the app and register with your mobile phone number. Then, the first time you enter an O₂ Wi-Fi hotspot you can select the app in your device settings. From then on your phone or tablet will automatically connect whenever you are in range of a hotspot.

The app is able to connect to free Wi-Fi hotspots in many public places including O₂ stores, McDonalds, Harvester, Debenhams, Costa and Café Rouge. So if you’re in town you should be to find plenty of places to get free Internet access.

This is particularly useful as it means that you don’t have to use up your mobile data allowance or pay expensive rates per megabyte. So this app can actually save you a lot of money if you use your phone for Internet access when out of the house. Even better, these hotspots usually have much faster broadband connections that are available over 3G on your mobile phone.

The app is available to phones and tablets running Android or Apple iOS. And we really have to commend O₂ for making it available to all users regardless of what mobile network they are on. This means you don’t even need to be on O₂ or to have a contract with anyone to make use of this great new feature.

Have you tried the new O₂ Wi-Fi app yet? Have you found it useful or do you not think it is necessary? And what you think of the decision to allow customers of all networks to use it?

EE has announced the next 17 areas to get 4G super-fast mobile broadband. The network hopes to get them all live by March next year. 4G is the successor to 3G and, at the moment, is running about five times faster. This means that users can stream high def video without the need to wait for buffering and video calls can also be made at a much better resolution.

EE is the UK’s first 4G mobile network after the Ofcom auction was delayed. This meant that they would be the only network permitted to offer a 4G service until the other 4G frequencies would be released to the other networks.

EE is a 4G-only network made up of T-Mobile and Orange and they launched the 4G service originally on 30 October 2012. The initial cities to get the service were Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton. Now EE plan to expand to Belfast, Hull, Maidenhead and Slough by the end of the year.

However, today is the first time we heard about EE’s rollout plans after that. They have confirmed the regions that will get 4G next. Of course, to take advantage of it, your phone must be 4G-ready. The 17 new towns and cities are as follows:

Bradford, Chelmsford, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Leicester, Luton, Newport (Wales), Reading, Rotherham, St Albans, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall, Watford, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton.

By adding these new regions, EE claims that an addition 4 million people will be able to access the super-fast mobile broadband. It will also bring the total number of towns and cities with that capability up to 35.

EE’s plan is for 98% of the UK population to have access to 4G at home by the end of 2014 which is still some way off. However, EE is also saying that it’s upgrading the speed of its 3G network in other regions in the mean time. This might be good news for customers put off by the very high costs and low bandwidth allowances offered on 4G by EE. The network is desperate to cement a strong foothold in the market before the other rival networks are allowed to offer their own 4G services.

Have you used 4G yet? Do you often need your connection to be so fast? Do you think it’s worth the high costs? And if you haven’t got it yet, are you excited about the next stage of the roll out?