Will the wireless networks be able to handle the record-breaking crowds descending on Washington, D.C., this week for President-Elect Barack Obama’s inauguration?
CTIA says wireless companies have gone to great lengths to invest time and money in boosting network capacities, but that might not be enough. The organization is urging the public to understand that large crowds can create congestion and delays. “Think of a wireless network like a highway,” said CTIA CEO and President Steve Largent in a press release last week. “Even though we’re building more lanes, if millions of people jump on the road at the same time, there could be a traffic jam.”
Therefore, CTIA is asking inaugural event attendees to do their part in decreasing network demand by texting instead of placing voice calls and holding off on sending cell phone pictures or video until after the events are over.
The advice then begs the question: Will the networks be able to deliver all those text messages, a mode of communications used by the Obama campaign itself and one that is popular among his young constituents? Based on estimates by VeriSign’s Messaging and Mobile Media division, a record of more than 1.4 billion mobile messages will be delivered across all networks tomorrow.
VeriSign managed a single-hour record of more than 82 million mobile messages when the clock struck midnight on the East Coast this past New Year’s Eve, so it expects it can handle the increased volume when Obama and Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden take the oath of office and Obama then addresses the nation.
Other vendors are confident carriers will be able to handle the deluge, as they have with other big events like the Super Bowl. “We really think the carriers have this down to a science,” said Mark Titus, senior director of product management at TeleCommunication Systems (TCS). “I think it will go without a hitch.” TCS provides the “high-capacity plumbing,” so to speak, that allows networks to withstand huge spikes in traffic.
One of the things SMS has going for it is it uses a small amount of bandwidth compared with voice. Of course, many remember that not everyone who signed up got the message announcing Obama’s vice presidential pick in a timely fashion, or, in some cases, ever. Any number of factors could have contributed to that technology failure, including the network gateways that might have sensed what was perceived as a potential attack and therefore implemented denial-of-service tactics. TCS provides an access gateway product line that is designed to protect and regulate messages coming in and out with filtering rules to detect the onset of a potential cyber attack. The VP situation was different in that it was one message going out to many, as opposed to the peer-to-peer communications expected during the inauguration events.
Bridgewater Systems in Canada also offers solutions so carriers can essentially “even out” services so that in times of great congestion, all their customers get at least some level of basic service, creating an equilibrium, or fair usage, across the entire base, explained David Sharpley, senior vice president of marketing and product management. The network can implement policy decisions to curtail a bandwidth hog like MMS, for example, and allow more text messages to get through.
Some consumer advocates say carriers should be apologizing rather than boasting. A representative for Consumers Union was quoted in The New York Times suggesting that carriers offer rebates when service isn’t up to snuff. The Times also reported that Obama’s inauguration could attract 2 million people.