Report: Cloud computing will be a force behind mobile broadband era

During the recent Mobile World Congress, Randall Stephen, AT&T’s chief executive, stated that cloud computing and faster internet speeds will drive the latest era of mobile broadband.

Stephen told the audience that mobile applications need to become fully open, device-agnostic ecosystems in order to take advantage of mobile broadband and cloud computing, according to V3.co.uk.

"Mobile broadband was talked about for three or four years, and now it's a ubiquitous, integral part of business and society, and the same thing is happening with the cloud," Stephen said. "It was a very nebulous, emerging capability, but is now a very concrete one and it will become a lynchpin of the entire mobile ecosystem."

Furthermore, Stephen pointed to the rise in 4G broadband networks, as well as the cloud, when making his point that operators simply cannot afford to operate in closed environments any longer. He also stated that any operators failing to see this “tidal wave” will be overrun by customers’ needs during the next several years.

Public cloud computing is expected to generate a revenue of $29.5 billion by 2015, according to IDC. With Stephen’s recent blessing, the managed IT service looks likely to continue growing exponentially for years to come.