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Three speeds to master in mobile

By Jason Friedler.

According to recent global research, the mobile phone is now the main route to the internet for 50% of mobile web users. That’s a huge amount of browsing on the small screen! And why not? Mobile is convenient, with you all day and faster than ever.

The challenge for the industry is in meeting user expectations. As we enter the 4G era, customers will begin to use their phones and tablets like their laptops, video cameras and TV sets before. And they’ll expect the same fibre-optic broadband-equivalent performance wherever they happen to be, whatever they’re up to. So speed shall be increasingly critical.

At Equinix we perceive three types of speed. And no, that’s not slow, normal and fast! I’d like to talk you through the three speeds to master.

1. Speed to market

Firstly, we have the speed to market. Periods of tech change are often the best of times for new products and services to gain traction, so being able to move quickly is a great advantage.

Master this speed and you can command first-mover advantage. For Equinix clients this can be achieved through the Platform EquinixTM solution. Here, businesses can connect directly to the major mobile networks and leading mobile content and service providers directly. Moreover they can synchronise their efforts and efficiently communicate with one another. Many make use of the Equinix MarketplaceTM to showcase and market their services, and investigate mutually beneficial collaborations.

Ultimately, speed to market means cutting your development times and getting your services onto users’ mobile devices faster.

2. Speed to scale and expand

The second speed for businesses in the mobile industry is the speed to scale and expand. Going global (or at least multi-territory!) is a natural follow-on for many services and apps that are doing well in a local market.

It’s a different proposition from speed to market. Just think of the successful local apps that missed their chance to capture another territory because a competitor copied their business model and swiftly took the lead.

In all likelihood, to scale and expand you will need to connect with numerous new customers, partners and suppliers. And that’s not just within the mobile sector.

Many of the CIOs I’ve spoken with place great value on linking to businesses in other vertical sectors. Particularly when they need to grow their global footprint. This is why I’m convinced that Equinix must nurture a variety of ecosystems in addition to mobile. It’s certainly bearing itself out – we’re seeing approximately 20% interconnection growth between different verticals.

3. Speed of app performance

This speed is very apparent to your end users. They might not have their stopwatches out, but they’ll notice higher latency and lower quality when they compare apps and services. Before running this risk you should seek to optimise app performance.

I recommend that Equinix customers use our Solution Validation Centre. This enables customers and partners to trial an app in a live environment, see how it works ‘in the field’, then optimise the underlying mix of systems and partners in retrials.

I believe that such trial and retrial is crucial. Mobile services will only succeed if speed of delivery matches user expectations and provides a compelling experience. From this strong foundation you can expand, combine revenue streams across multiple channels.

Are you ready to master the three speeds of mobile?

Read the 2nd chapter of our eBook.