LIVE FROM BROADBAND WORLD FORUM 2014: Wearables company Pebble has no plans to add mobile connectivity to its smartwatch line, arguing that the current technology would have too much of an impact on battery life.

“Battery life is a very critical part of our product, we’re not going to compromise this by wasting it on a direct connection to the internet. But there will be a time when that’s possible,” Myriam Joire, chief evangelist at the company, said.

“The next generation is still limited by what the technology can do today,” Joire continued.

While wearable device makers are generally positioning their devices as companions for smartphones, which are then able to provide any internet connectivity needed, some are offering devices with SIMs.

But Joire said that even when the technology has evolved to the point where on-board mobile connectivity can be included, “it’s very critical that our customers don’t have to pay that much more for that access.”

“The challenge is that the operators see each wearable device and each IoT device having its own connection to the network, but I don’t think that’s where we are going. I realise that the operators want to monetise this in some way, but it’s not in multiple accounts, it’s in package deals,” she said.