Mobile network controls, pricing still taking shape

09.11.2010

Developers are tailoring their applications for efficient use of networks because they don't want to run up customers' mobile bills, Bowman said. "At a certain point in time, customers will want a good experience, but also an economic experience," he said. "We don't want customers thinking about, 'Can I use this app now?' That's a loser for all of us."

Asked about "best-effort" video delivery versus enhanced performance, Verizon's Melone said LTE networks have tools for "shaping" the user experience in ways that benefit carriers as well as subscribers and content providers. But regulatory issues come into play as well, he said. "It is a dynamic situation and I'm not prepared to be explicit in terms of exactly what we're thinking along that front," Melone said.