Modern mobile technology includes everything from two-way pagers and clunky phones the size of landline headsets to smartphone devices and high tech gadgets with multifaceted functionality. A standard phone, for instance, isn’t just a unit for verbal communication – it also works as a GPS navigation device, Internet browser and gaming console. Through the use of mobile apps, the device’s functionality is expanded even further.
For organizations, mobile communication technologies aren’t just a convenience; they’re essential tools for supporting a remote workforce and digitally connected customers and suppliers. From time-tracking and employee payment software to downloads that simplify back-office tasks, mobile technology helps businesses shave minutes — if not hours — off business processes.
In addition to streamlining operational efficiency, mobile technologies help businesses connect with employees and customers via instant chat platforms, video conferences, and digital tools that house work documents, conversations and workflows accessible from anywhere. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mHealth applications like those that identify at-risk individuals who have tested positive for the virus are helping to minimize the number of lives lost by ensuring patients receive treatment quickly and effectively.
The advent of 3G connections-based networks paved the way for mobile Internet use on smartphones and other portable devices. Using a network of wireless towers, the technology ensures robust and relatively fast long-distance communication. Typically, 3G offers upload speeds of up to 170Kbps and download speeds of about 8 minutes for a 3-minute MP3 song. Today’s 4G networks – sometimes referred to as LTE or 4G Advanced LTE – offer much faster data rates and higher connectivity density than previous generations of mobile networking technology.