The Wireless Video Threat

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion regarding iPhones straining AT&T Inc.’s wireless network, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. While the iPhone is a powerful little device, in the big picture it shows only what can happen to 3G mobile broadband networks when just a fraction of Internet traffic migrates over to them.

Consider Internet-ready netbooks, data cards and wireless dongles: The wireless threat is vastly multiplied with these offerings. These devices literally have the potential to shift entire broadband Internet traffic consumption patterns to mobile networks. From large peer-to-peer (P2P) file transfers to Internet video to streaming audio, all are potential traffic types that can be migrated to mobile broadband networks quickly and easily – with devastating effects if not managed appropriately by the operator...