It’s Time for a (Virtual) Reality Check

When we hear the word “mobile,” we normally think of smartphones, tablets and wearables. However, there’s a new wave of technology taking the mobile space by storm: virtual reality.

What once seemed like a technology dream is becoming mainstream. Major players have announced or are in the process of launching an array of virtual reality solutions. Here’s some of the most recent:

  • HTC announced its Vive Pre virtual reality headset at CES last month
  • Nokia developed a VR camera that captures 360 degree audio and video
  • Facebook is continuing to work on Oculus Rift, set to ship March 28
  • Google is also launching its own virtual reality headset

Virtual reality is one of the key trends you can expect to see at Mobile World Congress. Learn more about what to expect from this year’s show here.

In the meantime, how big of an impact do you think virtual reality will have on the mobile industry?

What Caught our Eye at Mobile World Congress 2015?

Mobile World Congress 2015 attracted more than 93,000 telecom professionals – a record-breaking number for the world’s largest mobile event. As expected, it was a great show. Earlier this year, we shared our thoughts on what to expect and sessions to attend.

With the show behind us, here’s a recap of the topics and news we enjoyed most:

  • 5G was crowned the hottest trend at MWC by Light Reading. Their poll found that 5G beat out SDN/NFC and the ever-talked about Internet of Things (IoT)
  • The debate on the use of unlicensed spectrum for LTE and Wi-Fi heated up as Verizon and T-Mobile both announced support for unlicensed LTE (LTE-U)
  • Taking the connected car another step further, AT&T announced plans to link AT&T Drive, its connected car platform, with its home security and automation service.

What caught your attention at Mobile World Congress? Let us know in our comments below.

News from MWC to Improve Carriers’ Customer Experience

Telecom carriers strive to continually improve their customer experience. To ensure their customers are happy, carriers need to know what their customers’ experience is in real time – whether that’s network availability and performance data or customer service.

Mosaik Solutions has always been committed to helping carriers improve their customer experience. At Mobile World Congress, the company made two announcements to bring even more value to its customers:

  • Mosaik announced a partnership with SightCall to bring WebRTC video collaboration platform to telecom providers to help them transform their customer service.
  • The company also announced a new name for its app-based T&M solution, formerly known as XenSurvey. Under the name Signal Insights, the solution complements traditional T&M options by providing a quick, easy and cost-effective way to evaluate the performance of wireless networks using Android devices.

Make sure you’re always up-to-date on our clients’ announcements by following news here.

MWC Infographic: What Does the Global LTE Footprint Look Like?

5G and LTE-related technologies have taken over Mobile World Congress this year as more wireless carriers search for ways to bring faster network speeds to their customers.

This begs the question, while we look at standards for 5G, where are we at with global availability of LTE?

Mosaik Solutions, the leader in telecom business intelligence and visualization services, created an infographic to show us. The image points out some interesting facts:

  • 99.4% of U.S. residents have access to LTE
  • 64% of the world population is predicted to have LTE coverage by 2019
  • In 2014, 113 countries had LTE, up from 2 countries in 2009

You can view the image here.

Top Four Sessions to Check Out at MWC 2015

Last week, we shared five things that will likely be announced at Mobile World Congress. As we get closer to March, we’re also excited about the topics that will be discussed at the show by industry leaders. Sure, there will be discussions on wearables, personalizing the consumer’s connected experience and mobile security, however we’re most looking forward to these hot topics:

  • Spectrum – Between the U.S. FCC spectrum auctions and the outcomes from WRC 15, we’re in for some interesting developments that will reshape the industry. Don’t miss “The Seismic Spectrum Shake-Up” on March 2 at 2 p.m. to learn more.
  • Mobile Retail – With the explosion of mobile payments in 2014, 2015 will be about driving customer loyalty through Online, mobile, in-store and offline experiences. The “Mobile Retail: Delivering Contextual Experiences to Drive Loyalty & Spend” session on March 3 at 4 p.m. will discuss this further.
  • 5G – We’ve heard about 5G for a while now, but where is it going and how will it be used? March 4 is the day to hear some thoughts on this during the “5G Requirements” session at 2 p.m. and the “5G Services” session at 3:15 p.m.

What sessions are you most excited to attend?

Top Five Things to Expect at MWC 2015

Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest mobile industry exhibition, is just around the corner. Based on the numbers from last year, we can anticipate some 85,000 attendees from across the globe to check out close to 2,000 exhibits of the latest solutions and gadgets the mobile industry has to offer.

With the show about a month away, what’s already on the must-see list? Here are just a few rumored announcements:

These are just five announcements expected at this year’s show. What other gadgets and innovations are you excited about?