Data Making Networks Creak?

Smart-phone use is growing fast in the UK and putting extra strain on existing 3G networks argues WiFi hotspot operator the Cloud. The company, which admittedly may have a vested interest in painting a gloomy picture of mobile capacity issues, claimed at the weekend that 3G networks, particularly in London are cracking under the surging demand for mobile data - lead by those on unlimited data plans. Partly in order to meet this rise in demand, mobile operators recently asked the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom for the right to increase the broadcast power they are allowed to use. 

According to figures from a new survey conducted by the GSMA and Mobile Media Metrics (MMM), almost 16 million mobile users accessed the internet via their handsets in the UK during the last month of 2009. In total, they apparently viewed over 6.7 billion internet pages and notched up a total of 4.8 billion minutes online. According to MMM over 20% of the UK mobile customer base now owns a smart phone of some description, which is adding to the network operators' mobile data problems.

However, while usage is soaring it appears that we are a nation of sheep when it comes to our online choices. According to the MMM survey, the top ten sites accessed by mobile users in December 2009, accounted for 70% of the total time spent online, with social networking sites, such as Bebo and Facebook, accounting for over 50% of this.

Meanwhile, partly in a bid to accommodate the growing mobile data demand, Ofcom is said to be considering allowing mobile operators to quadruple the power of their 3G transmissions in order to improve coverage. Despite environmental and health concerns, Ofcom points out that technology has improved since the 3G licences were first sold off, enabling higher-power transmission without interference affecting other parts of the spectrum.