How will the 2012 Olympics affect mobile networks?

There’s lots of excitement around the 2012 Olympics and what it will mean for London and the rest of the UK – but have people thought about what it will mean for mobile networks? The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said that the Olympics will put “maximum strain” on mobile phone networks as around 80 million people are expected to be using their phones at 100 different venues for various sports and games in the summer of 2012. This may mean that the Olympics affect mobile networks and could become temporarily blocked or operate slower than usual because of the huge demand the millions of users will place on their networks.

With so many Apps and new features introduced on smartphones, it’s become much easier to stay in touch through social networks and find anything you want by connecting to the web. During the Olympics, people are predicted to be using their phones a lot more whilst watching the games. For example people will be tweeting and updating their social networks and sharing photos as well. The way that the Olympics affect mobile networks is likely to have a great impact on the performance of some of the larger network providers.

More strain on mobile networks will come from the millions of people downloading data and using the web whilst at the games. Much of this strain will come from individuals using the web to check their emails in between watching the sports and they may even want to check maps to see where the next location is for a game they want to watch. On top of the millions of people who will be doing this there will be people taking photos and videos on their smartphones and sending them over to friends.

Another thing to consider is that many of those who can’t watch the games live will be watching them on their phones and tablets. In the last football world cup many workplaces allowed their employees to watch games on their mobiles whilst at work, so this may be allowed again for the 2012 Olympics in some workplaces. This uses a lot of data and may contribute further to the strain on networks.

It will be very important that emergency services have good access to their mobile networks as they will play a vital role in the Olympics and will need to be on call. To prepare for the likely strain on mobile networks next year, operators like O2 for example say that they will be investing £50 million in their network and within this investment they are said to be preparing for some temporary sites to help with easing the strain on the network. There are also talks of diverting extra antennas and network capacity to meet the needs of fans in Olympic game venues. Networks have come together with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to form a group called the Joint Operators Olympic Group. This group will work together to help protect signal bars next summer.

It’s great to see that network providers are already thinking about steps to take to meet the needs of their customers. Although they are preparing for something that may cause networks to strain and slow down, it’s definitely positive that millions of people have the option of using their phones in many different ways to keep in touch during this exciting time for London. What are your thoughts on how the Olympics will affect mobile networks?