Why deploy iPass for smartphones/tablets (hint: Wi-Fi) [Part 1 of 5-part series]

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012 Han Dong, Sr. Product Marketing Manager

Did you know…

US-based organizations with international travelers to Europe and Asia can save up to 43% on the data roaming costs of smartphones and tablets.

Furthermore, European organizations with international travelers within Europe can save up to 37% on the data roaming costs of smartphones and tablets.

…with iPass Open Mobile for smartphones and tablets

We often discuss all the great features and user connectivity tools (such as the Data Usage Meter and Hotspot Finder) within iPass Open Mobile for smartphones and tablets.  But what we often take for granted is the excellent value that our customers enjoy by deploying Open Mobile on smartphones and tablets, which empower their users to leverage the iPass Wi-Fi network of nearly 800,000 hotspots across the globe.  Here’s the first of 5 Top Reasons you should deploy Open Mobile for smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android) today!

1. 90% of Tablets are Wi-Fi ONLY. (Kevin C. Tofel, GigaOM; Chetan Sharma, Chetan Sharma Consulting)
According to Chetan Sharma and Kevin Tofel, 90% of all tablets sold in the U.S. are Wi-Fi and not cellular.  Why?  First, cellular-based tablet acquisition costs (device hardware) and 3G/4G data-only plans are expensive.  And BYOD users are even less inclined to spend their money on ANOTHER data plan when they’re already paying for voice + data on their smartphone.

Second, contract commitments (for some carrier-subsidized tablet offers) make users feel “locked-in,” and thus limit a user’s ability to switch after 6-months or even a year – when the next new tablet is available.  Perhaps “shared data plans” will make users reconsider, but a shared 3G/4G data plan will come at a premium versus today’s cellular plans.  Global Wi-Fi access is now a necessity for tablet users, not an alternative.

Stay tuned for the next four Wednesdays, when we discuss the other reasons to deploy Open Mobile. For next week, look up to the clouds.

Tags: 3G network, 4G network, Open Mobile Platform, smartphone, tablet, wi-fi access