Innovating at the Pace of Mobile: Understanding and overcoming the unique challenges of the online mobile space.
In this paper, we examine in detail the challenges that organizations need to surmount to successfully
capitalize on the mobile opportunity, and we look at how a comprehensive mobile delivery platform can
help maximize the chances of success. Built on Akamai’s intelligent, globally distributed network, AQUA
Ion Mobile provides such a platform, reducing IT cost and complexity while making it easy for businesses
to offer engaging, responsive mobile experiences – web or native – across every device and every network,
every time.
For more information on Akamai's Mobile solutions, please visit: http://www.akamai.com/html/solutions/aqua_ion_mobile.html
3. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 3
Executive Summary:
In today’s on-the-go world, mobile adoption is occurring at an unprecedented
pace, creating a tremendous opportunity no company can afford to ignore. Our
mobile devices are our constant companions, transforming the way we shop, eat,
play, and live. They have become such an integral part of our lives that 44% of
people would choose their devi ces over their wallets if they could only take one
with them when leaving the house in the morning, and one-third of us report
feeling anxious when away from our phones for even a short period of time,
according to the 2012 Time Mobility Poll.i Even more remarkably, online mobile
usage is already catching up to the desktop – while promising far greater potential,
given the medium’s unique access to anytime, anywhere interactions that are
highly personal and highly relevant, as well as its singular ability to fulfill needs
that are both immediate and impulsive. The opportunity that mobile presents
for businesses is game-changing.
Unfortunately, the challenges are equally formidable. Organizations are struggling to deliver mobile
experiences that live up to user expectations, confounded by mobile last mile, slow networks, unreliable
connections, and device limitations – all contributing to end user interactions that that simply don’t
measure up when compared to the desktop Internet.
To capture the mobile opportunity, marketers must deliver consistently high quality experiences. This
requires the ability to overcome the limitations of wireless networks and delivery systems, as well as a
strategy for handling the extensive and ever-growing diversity of end user devices – each with its own
capabilities and limitations. Success will be driven by an intelligent understanding of the real-time context
of each request, including device characteristics and network conditions, to provide a tailored and
optimized response.
Finally, due to the unprecedented pace of innovation in the mobile space, organizations will need the
ability to move with speed and agility. This places a premium on solutions that reduce complexity and
seamlessly support a wide variety of mobile strategies.
In this paper, we examine in detail the challenges that organizations need to surmount to successfully
capitalize on the mobile opportunity, and we look at how a comprehensive mobile delivery platform can
help maximize the chances of success. Built on Akamai’s intelligent, globally distributed network, AQUA
Ion Mobile provides such a platform, reducing IT cost and complexity while making it easy for businesses
to offer engaging, responsive mobile experiences – web or native – across every device and every network,
every time.
4. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 4
Introduction
The mobile revolution has come fast and furious, transforming the way we shop, play, work, and
interact. From paying for coffee, to getting restaurant recommendations, to sharing their lives, people
are using the device in their pocket or purse to do more and more each day.
The pace of mobile’s growth is astounding: Cisco reports that global mobile data traffic in 2011 was
eight times the size of the entire Internet in 2000, and it is expected to increase another 18-fold by
2016.ii Similarly, Google reports that search queries from mobile devices have quintupled in the last
two years alone; in fact, during the 2012 Super Bowl and Olympics, respectively, 41% and 47% of
U.S. search queries came from mobile devices.iii To give it another perspective, mobile device usage is
reported to be growing at a rate that is 10 times faster than the PC revolution, 2 times faster than the
dot.com Internet boom, and 3 times faster than current social network adoption.iv
Always on and always there, mobile devices have become integral part of our lives and our psyches.
This means that mobile offers marketers countless opportunities to connect with audiences in a way
that is more relevant and more powerful than ever before. ComScore predicts that mobile advertising
in the U.S. alone will reach $2.5 billion by 2014.v
While this is just a fraction of the overall online advertising market, we are only at the beginning of
the mobile revolution, with the potential still largely untapped. As Internet analyst Mary Meeker notes,
a comparison with more mature mobile markets, such as Japan, offers an indication of the tremen-
dous revenue opportunities the mobile channel holds in store. Meeker predicts that mobile monetiza-
tion in the U.S. could surpass the desktop within just one to three years. This means companies today
have the rare chance to capitalize on a very unique and significant opportunity with mobile – one they
can’t afford to ignore.
The Challenges of Mobile
To successfully harness the power of mobile, organizations need to offer compelling and responsive
end user experiences. But while delivering interactions to a mobile device is superficially similar to
traditional Internet desktop delivery, in reality it presents significant additional obstacles, due to the
unique characteristics of mobile networks and the devices they serve. The rapid pace of innovation in
the mobile market makes things more challenging as well. We now examine each of these areas in
greater detail.
Mobile Networks
BOne of mobile’s most powerful features is the ubiquity of the network – and the fact that our
devices are always with us, providing a truly always-connected experience that we have grown ever
more reliant upon. In fact, more than half of those surveyed in the 2012 TIME Mobility Poll check
their phones at least once every 30 minutes.vii For marketers, this not only provides the opportunity
to engage consumers on the go or at the point of sale, but also opens untapped markets worldwide
in areas where the fixed-line Internet has less reach. Even within highly developed fixed-line markets,
this can be true: analyst firm IDC predicts that by 2015, mobile Internet users will surpass fixed line
users in the U.S. vii
5. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 5
The downside is that mobile networks were not designed for web traffic as fixed line networks and
therefore experience many more speed and reliability issues. Compuware Gomez’s industry bench-
marks show that even among top U.S. brands, many of whom may have mobile-optimized sites, the
end user experience is roughly four times slower on mobile versus the desktop.ix This represents a
significant lost opportunity for businesses, since consumers expect much more: a recent study showed
that that 71% of mobile users feel sites should be as responsive on their mobile devices as to their
desktops, and 74% refuse to wait more than 5 seconds for a mobile site to load.x
Indeed, studies repeatedly show the clear impact site performance can have on revenue and con-
version rates. A 2012 Walmart analysis shows, for example, that the retailer saw a sharp decline in
conversions and a high increase in as average page load time increased. Overall, shoppers who con-
verted had experienced page load times that were nearly twice as fast as shoppers who didn’t end up
converting. Predictably, specific pages that had high load times also saw much higher bounce rates.xi
Unfortunately, performance is a difficult problem for mobile sites and applications, as they must over-
come first mile and middle mile bottlenecks just as traditional Web sites do for desktop clients – but
they face a far more difficult last mile. These slow and lossy mobile networks often have much higher
degrees of latency (i.e., the time delay involved in sending a packet across the network and back) and
packet loss than that of broadband fixed-line networks. Figure 1 below illustrates some of the key
performance issues encountered.
Bottlenecks in Mobile Site and Application Delivery
Mobile Network
Mobile Sites
& Apps
Internet
GGSN
RRt = 10-50 ms
(domestic)
Device
Mobile RTT = 130-500ms
First Mile Middle Mile Last Mile
• calability
S • nternet congestion
I • low cellular network speeds
S
• Reliability • Routing problems • Extreme variability in latency
• Security • International Latency • Lossy and unreliable network
6. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 6
Cellular networks’ higher packet loss and slower network speeds both negatively impact mobile perfor-
mance. But the networks’ high latency, or network round trip time (RTT), is the biggest culprit. Not only
is latency an order of magnitude slower across the mobile last mile, but it is also highly variable, fluctu-
ating from moment to moment as network conditions and loads change, and as users move from one
area of coverage to another. The problems are compounded when delivering mobile applications or web
sites to mobile browsers, because each application page is typically made up of numerous requests, and
while each individual request suffers from increased RTT, overall page performance degrades not linearly,
but exponentially. As a result, the user experience deteriorates, the application becomes unusable, and
your brand suffers.
In addition, just as with the fixed-line Web, we see variability in mobile usage and network quality
depending on time of day, the season, and “flash crowd” events where demand can quickly outstrip
capacity. In addition, many other factors, ranging from signal strength, to cell tower capacity, to the
network operator and type of carrier infrastructure deployed, can affect real-time latencies in the mobile
network, making them far less predictable than their fixed line counterparts.
Unfortunately, the volatile conditions and high latencies found across cellular networks can wreak havoc
on the performance of both TCP and HTTP, the communications protocols used by mobile applications
and web sites. Standard TCP, for example, is designed to provide “reliable” transport at the cost of
performance. It simply is not tuned to work well under scenarios with high loss, high latency or highly
variability – all common in mobile networks.
TCP and HTTP also have significant connection set up overhead that is exacerbated by long round trip
times. To make matters worse, typically only a single HTTP request is utilized per TCP connection, so a
single slow response can block the download of the rest of the page, which may include dozens of such
requests. In a high latency situation, connections are sitting idle much of the time, waiting for the other
side’s response. Unfortunately, these inefficiencies translate into stalled downloads, unresponsive applica-
tions, and, ultimately, unhappy mobile users abandoning ship.
Mobile Devices
Understanding mobile devices – including how they are used and how they fundamentally differ from
traditional desktop environments – is a second critical component to a successful mobile strategy. While
the unique nature of mobile interactions presents a tremendous opportunity, the vast diversity of devices
and mobile contexts poses a daunting challenge as well.
The indispensable nature of mobile devices offers brands and businesses an abundance of new touch
points for engaging with customers. We take our smartphones everywhere, relying on them to help us
locate a nearby store or service, research a product, check the latest headlines, or check in with friends
when we’re on the go. For example, a recent Google/Ipsos survey showed that 96% of consumers have
used their smartphone to research a product or service, 78% have them while shopping in brick and
7. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 7
mortar stores, and 71% have used them in restaurants.xii Even at home, our tablets and phones are
constantly in use; Nielson reports the 88% of tablet owners and 86% of smartphone owners in the U.S.
use their devices while watching TV, for example.xiii
Moreover, smartphones and tablets are truly personal devices and have access to important contextual
information such as location data, as well as offering greater immediacy and relevancy to the consumer’s
immediate task. Combining this with the high level of engagement inspired by these in-hand devices
and their touchscreens, mobile – done right – offers businesses the perfect setting to create meaningful
and memorable interactions that will build their brand and grow their consumer base.
Unfortunately, capitalizing on these opportunities is easier said than done. First, there are the limitations
of the devices themselves. Mobile devices enjoy only a small fraction of the CPU power, memory, and
storage space that desktop devices have. This can affect page and application response times and ca-
pabilities. In addition, the smaller display size of mobile devices creates the need for a more streamlined
and focused user interface to offset the limited screen real estate.
In most cases, successful mobile experiences can’t be simply repurposed from the desktop. They require
a clear strategy for managing and optimizing the user experience across a vast range of device and
user scenarios. Already, smartphones and tablets come in an unprecedented range of form factors and
capabilities, but they continue to proliferate as the brisk pace of technological advancement, coupled
with the 24-month lifecycle of wireless carrier contracts, drives consumers to upgrade their devices more
rapidly than ever before. It may not even be enough to simply design one site for “smartphones” and
one for “tablets,” as the diversity within these subcategories is still tremendous. Differences in operating
system, processor speed, screen size and resolution, browser capabilities, supported technologies (such
as Flash or JavaScript), and protocol support, all significantly impact the end user experience. This makes
creating, testing, maintaining and delivering high quality mobile experiences a particularly daunting task.
Continuous Change
A final key challenge in mobile is the unmatched velocity of change. Though the desktop Internet has
evolved significantly over the past decade and continues to do so, the mobile space elevates the pace
of innovation to a whole new level. Devices, networks, software, protocols, and standards are con-
tinually in flux, leaving businesses to grapple with many difficult decisions, starting with fundamentals:
mobile web site, native app, or both? Build-off an existing desktop site, or create a separate one for
mobile? Should we make the shift to responsive web design? Do we need separate tablet and phone
apps? How many different types of tablets and phones should/can we support?
Weighing heavily on decision-makers will be the most important question of all: how do we keep up
and keep our mobile presence functioning as the landscape continually changes? Will my decisions
today be obsolete before the project is even complete? While various point products continue to
emerge in the marketplace to help companies overcome specific mobile challenges around perfor-
mance and usability, these single-focus solutions leave too many other headaches unaddressed, and
they may become wasted investments if mobile landscape shifts or if the business decides to change
its mobile strategy.
8. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 8
Finally, as mobile takes businesses into swiftly changing, uncharted territory, insight and intelligence
into mobile consumption becomes an essential competitive advantage. Thus, in evaluating potential
mobile strategies, companies need solutions that not only enable them to be agile and responsive to a
rapidly evolving landscape, but that also deliver the data and insight that will allow them to make the
right strategic decisions to drive their mobile channel to success.
Akamai Aqua Ion Mobile: Simplifying
and Optimizing Mobile
Designed to help businesses overcome the unique challenges of the mobile landscape, Akamai Aqua
Ion Mobile is the industry’s first comprehensive mobile delivery platform for the optimized delivery of
compelling mobile experiences to users across any device, on any network, anywhere.
Built on the Akamai Intelligent Platform, Aqua Ion Mobile combines layers of mobile-specific optimiza-
tions with the proven performance, scale, and reliability of the Akamai Intelligent Platform, a cloud-
based computing platform comprising more than 100,000 servers in over 1,000 networks across 78
countries worldwide to deliver a vastly superior experience to end users, whether they are using the
mobile Web or native mobile applications with live data communications. In addition, by leveraging
the unmatched reach and the unique device and network intelligence of the Akamai platform, Aqua
Ion Mobile provides organizations with valuable insight into their audience’s mobile consumption as
well as the characteristics and capabilities of the devices being used.
As a result, Aqua Ion Mobile customers should enjoy increased user adoption, higher conversion rates,
greater cross-channel engagement, and an enhanced brand image. Aqua Ion Mobile also reduces the
IT cost and complexity associated with mobile, while delivering unique mobile intelligence that helps
keep our customers executing strategically ahead of the game.
How Aqua Ion Mobile Works
At a high level, Aqua Ion Mobile is a cloud-based service that works in a similar way to Akamai’s other
performance solutions such as Dynamic Site Accelerator, with our mobile-specific acceleration and
intelligence services layered on top. The service is transparent to end users while enabling content
providers to leverage the reach of Akamai’s Intelligent Platform to deliver an optimal mobile experi-
ence to end users.
When an end user’s mobile browser or native mobile application makes a content request, it is quickly
routed to a nearby server in Akamai’s highly distributed global platform. This server is generally very
near the mobile network’s GGSN or IP gateway – the point at which the cellular network connects to
the Internet. Requested content may be served directly from this server’s cache or requested from the
“origin” server (the data center where the content ultimately originates) over an optimized connection.
As appropriate, Akamai also intelligently applies additional mobile performance optimizations, such
as Adaptive Image Compression, Front-End Optimization, and Mobile Detection Redirect. Content
is then accelerated to the end user via Akamai’s Enhanced Mobile Protocol as well as browser specific
optimization.
9. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 9
Akamai pulls and caches content on servers in mobile IP
gateways and other locations at the edge of the Internet,
close to mobile users.
GGSN Cellular
Network
Akamai Edge
Servers
Origin Server Akamai intelligently applies
mobile-specific acceleration
capabilities and delivers to
end users occurs over a
mobile-optimized connection
Wi-Fi
Figure 2: Akamai provides intelligent, mobile-optimized delivery from
its globally distrubuted network
To maximize quality of the end user experience, Aqua Ion Mobile offers a number of performance
capabilities designed to address mobile-oriented challenges. These can be loosely categorized into
optimization capabilities, intended to surmount the limitations of mobile networks, and intelligence
capabilities, designed to deliver an enhanced user experience across the diverse range of mobile de-
vices. Let’s have a closer look at both.
Optimized Performance
Aqua Ion Mobile offers multiple performance optimization capabilities focused on improving the
responsiveness of the mobile experience over both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Most of these features
speed up all types of HTTP communications, providing a cloud performance layer that accelerates any
type of mobile strategy – whether it be a native app, mobile site, responsive design site, or a hybrid of
these.
For middle mile acceleration, Aqua Ion Mobile leverages capabilities like SureRoute (which provides
a fast path across the long-haul Internet) and intelligent TCP optimizations – the same proven tech-
nologies that accelerate data across the Web for the world’s leading sites and cloud applications.
Compression and pre-fetching across the middle mile can also provide enormous benefit for mobile
applications.
In the last mile, where mobile differs significantly from the fixed-line Web, Akamai offers several
mobile-specific optimizations. Akamai’s Enhanced Mobile Protocol, along with its mobile network
map and mobile caching technologies, seamlessly accelerate communications for all types of smart
phone and tablet applications, including web, native, and hybrid apps.
10. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 10
• obile Network Map – Akamai’s globally distributed platform boasts an unparalleled edge server
M
deployment, putting it in a unique position to minimize latency by caching and delivering as close to
the end user as possible. For cellular users, servers are located in or near the mobile network’s GGSN
or IP gateway. For Wi-Fi users, servers are typically located within the ISP network itself.
• obile Caching – Akamai improves cacheability of mobile content by enabling multiple versions
M
of an object to be cached. Akamai’s edge servers intelligently deliver the correct version based on
incoming device characteristics, offloading the origin and enabling a faster and more targeted
response for the end user.
• nhanced Mobile Protocol – The standard TCP and HTTP protocols are not necessarily well-suited
E
to high-latency, high-packet-loss environments, so Akamai’s Enhanced Mobile Protocol (EMP) detects
such conditions in real-time and adjusts TCP parameters accordingly. EMP also supports HTTP
pipelining, an optimization supported by many mobile browsers, which enables multiple requests
to be made over the same HTTP connection, greatly reducing the delays due to the high round trip
times found in cellular networks.
Intelligent Performance
Improving the mobile experience is not simply about overcoming the physical limitations of wireless
networks, but also about being able to deliver the right experience for each type of mobile device,
given the particular conditions that surrounding a given connection – Akamai refers to this as
“situational performance” or the ability to apply optimizations on a scenario-by-scenario basis. Doing
this requires sophisticated knowledge about each data request, including information about device
characteristics and real-time network conditions. Aqua Ion Mobile offers this intelligence, enabling
content providers to seamlessly provide a differentiated experience for each end user request, without
incurring the cost and complexity involved in having to keep up with a continually changing landscape
of mobile devices and their capabilities.
While many of the intelligence capabilities listed below are primarily relevant to web-based mobile
scenarios (including mobile sites and responsive design sites, as well as hybrid native applications
using a web view), certain features, like Adaptive Image Compression, can boost performance for all
types of mobile apps.
• daptive Image Compression – Akamai intelligently adjusts compression parameters for images
A
in real time, as needed and according to content provider parameters, based on changing end user
network conditions. This helps to deliver the optimal balance between image quality and download
time. Users can enjoy high quality images when network conditions are good without suffering from
slow performance when conditions are poor.
11. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 11
• ront End Optimization – Akamai’s automated Front-End Optimization (FEO) layer applies
F
real-time transformations that streamline and speed up existing web content, using a wide
range of techniques to reduce the number of HTTP requests, reduce the size of data requested,
and accelerate browser page rendering. Akamai’s sophisticated offline FEO analysis engine
determines the appropriate optimizations for rendering given content on different devices,
and Akamai’s edge servers then apply those transformations dynamically based on the
characteristics of each incoming request.
• obile Detection Redirect – For customers who maintain different web sites for different device
M
categories, Akamai can detect the device and its salient characteristics, and then redirect
end users to the appropriate site – all from the edge of the network. This low-latency redirect
minimizes end user wait time, offloads the origin server, and frees the content provider from
having to maintain a continually changing database of device capabilities.
• evice Characterization – Similar to Mobile Detection, Device Characterization is designed
D
for customers who want to make decisions regarding which content should be delivered based
on specific device characteristics and capabilities. Akamai’s edge servers detect these capabilities
(e.g. screen size, browser version, Flash support, JavaScript support), and provide the information
back to the origin to serve differentiated content. In turn, these responses can be used
to seed a device-based cache hierarchy that can deliver content to different devices that
match particular characteristics.
Partnering with a Platform
As organizations look to harness the potential of mobile, there is great benefit in partnering with a
solution that helps overcome mobile challenges in a holistic way. Akamai’s Aqua Ion Mobile offers a
comprehensive platform that delivers seamless performance from first mile to last, intelligently apply-
ing optimization layers tailored to the unique context of each request. In contrast to point products
that address only a small piece of the puzzle and may quickly become obsolete as strategy shifts,
Aqua Ion Mobile supports a broad range of mobile strategies, enabling companies to move with the
agility and responsiveness critical to iterate and succeed in this rapidly evolving landscape.
12. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 12
Optimizing the Mobile Experience from End-to-End
First Mile Middle Mile last Mile
GGSN
Customer
Infrastructure
Akamai Intelligent Platform Mobile Network Operator
Aqua Ion Mobile
First Mile Middle Mile Last Mile
• hort distance to nearest
S • ureRoute
S • obile Network Map
M
Akamai Server • Persistent TCP connections • Enhanced Mobile Protocol
• Presistent TCP connections • Connection pooling • Mobile Detection Redirect
• Connection pooling • TCP Window optimization • Mobile Front-End Optimization
• Compression • Adaptive Image Compression
• Device Characterization
Because mobile optimization is not a straightforward, one-size-fits-all problem – in fact, it is almost
the antithesis – a multi-layered approach like Akamai’s offers the greatest flexibility. Each layer is only
applied when relevant, but they work in concert with one another; for example, the Enhanced Mobile
Protocol speeds up the last mile round-trip, while Front-End Optimization works to reduce the size of
objects and the number of round-trips needed. The layered approach also allows content providers to
take advantage of additional Akamai capabilities, including security offerings like Akamai’s Web Ap-
plication Firewall and Distributed Denial-of-Service protection, across their mobile channel.
A layered approach can quickly become complex to manage, but the deep device and network intel-
ligence built into Akamai’s platform frees content providers from this complexity. With the platform’s
tremendous breadth and reach, Akamai enjoys unmatched insight into mobile traffic and its wide
variety of use cases, driving its ability to intelligently deliver the right optimizations, even as devices
evolve and network conditions change. For instance, FEO optimizations need to be customized for
the end user environment, because different browsers and devices behave in different ways and thus
require different optimizations. Images may also need to be re-sized differently for devices with differ-
ent screen resolutions. In addition, a device connected over a lossy, high-latency network may benefit
from different types of optimizations than a device running over a fast Wi-Fi connection. Akamai’s
network can take all these factors into consideration and seamlessly apply the right optimizations for
each unique situation – hiding the complexity from the origin server and allowing our customers to
simply focus on their core mission of developing compelling content.
13. Innovating at the Pace of Mobile 13
Why Akamai
To capitalize on the vast potential promised by the mobile market, businesses need to be able to offer
high quality mobile experiences that consistently achieve the levels of responsiveness end users expect.
With over a decade of proven expertise in delivering fast, reliable and secure user experiences, Akamai
is uniquely positioned to help organizations deliver these compelling mobile experiences and succeed
in the rapidly evolving mobile space.
Built on a platform that is trusted by the world’s leading brands to deliver over two trillion Internet
interactions each day, Akamai Aqua Ion Mobile offers:
Superior Performance. Aqua Ion Mobile addresses performance bottlenecks all the way from first mile
to last, leveraging the unmatched reach of the Akamai network, along with optimizations intelligently
tailored in real-time for each request, to deliver rich, responsive experiences to end users.
Greater Flexibility. Akamai’s layered platform approach supports a broad range of mobile strategies
and allows content providers to seamlessly leverage new services on demand, giving them the agility
necessary to iterate and innovate at the pace of mobile.
Better Intelligence. By offering valuable insight into their audience’s mobile usage, Akamai provides a
competitive advantage to customers as they navigate the fast-changing mobile landscape. In addition,
Akamai’s ability to use real-time device and network intelligence enable it to seamlessly provide an
optimal end experience to every user, on every device, across every network.
Stronger Return on Investment. Akamai customers can enjoy stronger mobile adoption, higher
conversion rates, and greater cross-channel engagement – leading in turn to increased revenue and
enhanced brand perception. At the same time, Akamai Aqua Ion Mobile reduces the complexity and
cost associated with effective mobile delivery, allowing content providers to simply focus on executing
their mobile strategy – quickly, easily, and successfully.