New cloud-based smartphone services are emerging that will increase the amount of time smartphones are online – and increase their impact on the network.

Some of these new services are taking on-device functions and moving them to the cloud.  Take Instagram, for example, which transformed photo taking from a function that used on-device RAM to a function that depends heavily on the cloud.

Some say that the smartphone will become the primary gateway to the cloud – it will replace the PC as the way that most people manage their digital lives.  In fact, Qualcomm has said in just two years, the smartphone will take over this function.

While that opens up a new world of services for smartphone users, it also means there are more reasons for the phone to be pinging the network, tying up remote radio controller capacity, adding bandwidth and draining the battery.

Cloud-connected smartphones are another reason for traffic optimization – the one way to cut down on unnecessary mobile traffic without retraining all app designers or imposing new restrictions on customers.