Fresh from the Deutsche Telekom innovation area, at the Mobile World Congress we present how smartphones can remain online more easily and reliably: with the Seamless Connectivity app. It’s all about connectivity. But what exactly is that?
Connectivity is a current megatrend. Always connected with the network, no matter where, no matter how. On the one hand, this can be predominantly seen from a technical perspective. Thanks to modern internet-based communication technology, numerous new possibilities exist to achieve this connectivity. Between people and also things. Many of the terms associated with the connectivity megatrend are firmly established as current topics of innovation and already entrenched in everyday life: no matter if augmented reality – the merging of what is real and virtual – e-commerce, or carsharing in the private domain. Or industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, or big data in a commercial context.
But on the other hand, connectivity also involves a social aspect. In essence, it is about connecting people with each other. The technical innovations of the past years always had a common goal: to simplify and enhance seamless integration.
From Bell’s telephone to 5G
While Alexander Graham Bell’s concern in 1876 during the market introduction of the first telephone was about making a connection at all between people over long distances, many new possibilities to make connections have continuously emerged over the course of the past few years. With the introduction of the GSM standard in 1992, things really started moving in terms of telephony on the go. And today?
Connectivity has become an increasingly complex issue. The available networks span from 2G, 3G, 4G and soon 5G to public WLAN networks in the home country and abroad as well as the private WLANs found in the own home or at friends’ places.
The demands placed on the technical innovations have changed. It is no longer just a question of inventing new and better connections but rather the best connection for the specific demands of the individual. Securely and simply. The search is therefore on for “something” that can organize the complex world of the myriad connection possibilities for us and that can also deal with all the complicated aspects of this in the background.
“Something” that deals with the login in public WLAN networks. But “something” that also automatically pushes us back into the LTE network when the hotspot in the café is once again too slow to watch videos. Or simply use WLAN and mobile simultaneously. “Something” that I only need to explain once, how important the best possible connection for me is, or that I always want to stay connected in the WLAN.
Always the best connection thanks to the Seamless Connectivity app
This exact “something” is arriving in spring 2017 from the Deutsche Telekom innovation area for first field tests. The Seamless Connectivity app aims to ensure the best connectivity and the best customer experience. At the same time, it is secure and easy to operate.
How does it work? The app focuses on four key functions:
An automated Wi-Fi login simplifies the use of public and Deutsche Telekom Wi-Fi access points and hotspots. The intelligent network selection takes quality experiences and machine learning algorithms into account to ensure the access point with the optimal connection is selected, no matter if via Wi-Fi or mobile. In case of doubt, the cell and Wi-Fi connections are interconnected via hybrid access to provide higher speeds and stability. This is the same hybrid access as already known from fixed lines for mobile devices. With individual preferences, users have the power in their hands to determine how the app works for them: is the best connection to be maintained at all times or is the mobile data volume to be conserved?
The next step for the Seamless Connectivity app is the introduction of pilots of the beta version in various Deutsche Telekom national subsidiaries. The app will then be further optimized based on these experiences and introduced in the markets of the first countries before the year is out.
