4G Networks Address Lost Mobile Concerns


In recent weeks 4G networks have been looking at the issue of lost mobile phones, and the problems that losing a mobile can cause both personally and professionally. While Three is focussing on the personal side with the launch of Three Rescue™, EE is looking more at the impact on businesses with its new Super Secure 4GEE portfolio.

Lost 4G Smartphone

Three Rescue™

According to research from 4G network Three, Brits place a huge value on the contents of their smartphone; far more than the value of the phone itself. The average value placed on the contents of a phone was £1,117, with the most valuable content being photos at £357, followed by contact lists, banking details, and videos. Users also use their phone to store work info, music, films, and games. Apparently 38% of smartphone users in the UK don’t know how to back up their device, and 47% report that they would rather lose their passport than their smartphone.

According to Sylvia Chind, Head of Devices at Three, “A smartphone is no longer only a means of calling, browsing the internet and messaging people; it is the address book, photo album and video library of millions, so losing access to it through theft, damage or misplacement can feel like the end of the world.”

In response to this survey, Three has launched Three Rescue™, a service that will replace a lost, stolen, or damaged smartphone within 24 hours. The Three Rescue™ app makes it easy for customers to back up their smartphone data, so they can retrieve it onto their new device as if they had never lost it. Starting from just £2 a month, Three Rescue™ includes extra security features such as personal data locking and lost phone tracking.

Super Secure 4GEE  

A survey by EE and Vision Critical has revealed that over the last year around 10 million mobile devices holding sensitive business data, such as e-mails, spreadsheets and presentations, have been lost across Britain. Employees report losing devices on work nights out, or leaving them on public transport, in taxis, or in public toilets.

Although the arrival of 4G is allowing businesses to become genuinely mobile, downloading large amounts of business data from any location, the security issues that come with this are worrying.

Gerry McQuade, Chief Marketing Officer for Business at EE, suggests that, “More often than not, employees will use their personal mobile device to access company emails, documents or presentations, unaware that they may be putting sensitive data at risk. What’s important is that business data is secure, whether accessed from a company owned device or not. With the arrival of 4G, businesses of all sizes now have an opportunity to become genuinely mobile by giving their employees secure access to company information and business applications regardless of the device they’re using and the operating system the device is running.”

EE aims to address these concerns with their Super Secure 4GEE portfolio, which provides businesses of all sizes with the tools they need to securely manage access to company data and business applications from mobile devices.

For small to medium businesses, EE has partnered with MobileIron to provide a multi-operating system enterprise mobility management solution, allowing control of business mobile devices from a centrally hosted platform. For larger business, such as corporate or public sector organisations, EE offers three levels of security systems including features such as automatic password protection, access control, and the ability to lock down or wipe individual devices remotely.

The spread of 4G means a greater ability to download valuable data, both personal and business related, to mobile devices, creating potential problems if those devices are then lost. Both Three and EE are responding to this issue by providing a variety of data security services to their personal and business customers.