Although I’m sure it will improve in the near future, 4G does not resolve the issue of signal loss and the idea that we’ll be watching streamed content on the move (a train journey perhaps?) seems like a bit of a flawed example of how 4G will change our lives. Personally I haven’t found the ability to ‘download on the move’ have much effect on my everyday life.

But although I’m skeptical about how streaming download habits will change, I am curious to see how streaming upload may come into play.
Small data transfer has allowed us to instantly upload pictures, but now we may be in a position to instantly upload/stream video. Although clamping down on official video content, copyright owners seem to have sat quite comfortably with people uploading their own content up to now: Invariably it’s quality is not as good as official media. And crucially, it’s often uploaded way past it’s ‘sell by date’, when the person can return home to a decent connection in order to upload. But I feel the immediacy of 4G video upload could quickly alter the relaxed standpoint that has existed on user content up to now. Live football and live concerts are the examples that spring to mind.

With those wranglings aside, high speed upload opens a gate for the general public to become live broadcaster and I’d be interested to see how services like ‘YouTube Live’ are considering this too. It could be family events (weddings where not everyone is able to attend) but see no reason why it wouldn’t extend to a public’s own news service. Earlier in the year I remember how quickly the developments of this event spread quickly on Twitter. The first interview I saw was posted on YouTube, way before the news agencies turned up or were even covering it. Part of the reason why there may be a delay in news agency reporting is the legal responsibilities and ultimate culpability they have, that at present the general public doesn’t. That’s a minefield of it’s own…