Mobile Data Offload: Controlled Network Gateways vs Open WiFi

Not all mobile data traffic is created equal.  Don't be surprised to see your smartphone struggle to get data in the near future.  Carriers are increasingly going to be sniffing your mobile data traffic and discriminate what packet data is coming across the network.  For example: if the company wanted to give preferential treatment to Hulu traffic and block Youtube traffic they could and will start doing this.  Why do carriers want to discriminate data, because this is their only solution to maintain control of the network while also reducing the amount of data on their network.  One alternative would be to offload various sources of traffic to WiFi but carriers are hesitant to do this because they can't add any perceived value or control you.  Consumers are not going to like the user experience and carriers will spin their value add in many bogus ways.  This strategy only limits innovation and is highly short-sighted. 

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