September 24th, 2010
The FCC has opened the whitespace spectrum for unlicensed use. Broadband service on the new spectrum will roll out gradually due to FCC rules and as new equipment is deployed. The ongoing WiMAX and LTE deployments are examples of what to expect. Today users can’t seamlessly switch between 3G and 4G service provided by the same carrier. In addition, service from the major carriers remains spotty—even though they have spent many billions on infrastructure improvements.
No single network provider can ever deliver seamless service to the world. The new spectrum will mean more broadband options, but without Hobnob Aggregation consumers can’t combine their options into one reliable service.
Hobnob Aggregation does for network service what index stocks have done for investment portfolios: efficient diversification. In the same way that putting all your money into one stock reduces your investment performance, using a single broadband option diminishes your network performance. For example, in coverage areas where both Verizon and ATT offer competing service, the best option for consumers is to combine both carriers into a single, faster and more reliable connection.
Hobnob Aggregation also helps eliminate market inefficiencies. Today broadband consumers are forced to pay for service they don’t use. The Neilson Company’s recent analysis of broadband phone bills showed that 99 percent of consumers would be better off with a tiered pricing model. The Verizon CEO himself recently made the case for tiered pricing. What’s even worse than paying for service you don’t use? When you get disconnected when broadband service is available—just not from your provider.
The same consumers who will benefit from tiered pricing will benefit even more from an aggregate of broadband options. Hobnob Aggregation delivers optimal service comprised of all broadband options available, including future whitespace connectivity, in real time.
Breaking the single-carrier monopoly means aggregation consumers will always receive superior service. Consumers trade bandwidth they are not using on one carrier in exchange for shards of bandwidth across all carriers. Users get a faster, more reliable service and no more dropouts.
Hobnob’s Aggregation market will continue to thrive because a combination of connectivity options is always better than any single carrier. The trend towards cloud computing only increases the importance of aggregation as users need reliable networking to reach the cloud.
June 7th, 2010
As we predicted on this blog in April, the major carriers are moving to metered plans:
http://gigaom.com/2010/06/02/att-shuts-down-the-mobile-broadband-buffet/
Accelerating demand for wireless broadband service will drive more providers towards some form of metering or congestion-based pricing. Network Aggregation is the ideal technology to exploit these market conditions. Aggregation enables end-users to optimize their carrier mix in real time based on their reliability and cost preferences, for example, or capitalize on carrier competition. What’s coming after metered plans? A spot market of course!
May 6th, 2010
Hobnob Aggregation in action supporting 40 concurrent users and a live video interview from the train:
http://www.fox40.com/videobeta/42a78f9e-2631-47c4-9caa-449a8ed21879/News/Wifi-on-the-ACE-Train
April 26th, 2010
Metered plans will replace flat-rate wireless broadband plans soon.
Flat-rate plans create artificial market conditions. Users who consume the smallest part of the resource are subsidizing users who consume the most. Given these conditions, the “hogs” have only an incentive to consume more until the network is congested for everyone. The economic term for this is the “Tragedy of The Commons.” In addition, different carriers are strongest in different geographic areas. For a familiar example, while you’re on the move, such as during a commute to work, you can traverse one or more carrier dead zones. Furthermore, most users don’t consume anywhere close to the 5GB limit on their single-carrier data plans today. If the option existed, most broadband customers would prefer paying less per month for less bandwidth spread seamlessly across more carriers.
Hobnob makes smart devices that aggregate multiple carriers and technologies and expand the market for carrier service. When you aggregate multiple carriers you become a customer for every carrier whose service area you cross. You buy the megabytes you need from a diversified portfolio of carriers at a lower cost per month than you pay now for a single data plan. Since you’re no longer subsidizing the network hogs, your monthly rate drops significantly, even though your effective per megabyte rate increases. These new conditions allow the carriers to charge full and fair wholesale prices and make back their infrastructure investment.
November 3rd, 2009
We’re excited to announce our new Amsterdam datacenter. With direct backbone links to many European cities, we’ll be able to reduce latency and increase performance for our customers across Europe.
Read the full press release.
