4G demand means it should not be delayed

Mobile operators should invest in 4G without delay as it is already in demand, BroadbandIgnite has said.

The speed, reliability and multimedia functionality that 4G would bring to mobile applications like IP telephony solutions means that mobile customers want it now, according to the broadband communications forum.

Curtis Hartmann, in a post on BroadbandIgnite entitled Innovation is Calling, said that businesses and consumers want 4G because it can "improve the quality of their professional and personal interactions".

Delaying faster mobile internet deployment could damage the growth of mobile apps like VoIP solutions as users will abandon them if they cannot get the connectivity needed to use them.

"Innovation is calling and carriers need to answer the call," Mr Hartmann stated, as 3G is unable to keep pace with the rise in mobile data use.

He added that "any carrier dragging their feet will be left in the dust," explaining that "subscribers dropped like flies" when operators had delayed deploying faster services in the past.

Smartphones are fuelling growing demand for mobile data, technology market intelligence company ABI Research said recently.

Mobile internet revenues are predicted to grow as take-up of web-based smartphone apps, like those that emulate VoIP phones, accelerates.