Over-the-Air (OTA) updates make sense; no need to connect to the PC to download needed updates.
At least that is the theory…
In practicality, OTA updates translate to delays, sometimes for weeks.
Because OTA updates burn resources, here I refer to bandwidth, this puts the network provider on an odd situation: should they be prompt with their updates and made them available immediately, potentially slowing down and/or consuming precious network resources at peak times? Or should they schedule updates at off-peak times or at small windows of times across all the subscribers, meaning it will take longer to hit all subscribers, with some subscribers not getting needed updates until weeks after it is available?
The answer, in addition to OTA updates, network providers also provide Web to PC to Side-loading of updates. This will satisfy those subscribers who want to install updates ASAP, with the added benefit of relieving the network provider from having to push the updates thus saving network resources, while those subscribers who don’t care or prefer automatic updates, can wait for the OTA update to occur.
As a side note: should network providers be liable for not getting updates out fast enough to handsets, allowing handsets to be exposed to hackers and whatnot?
ceo