Business | Technology
Data traffic jam is looming ahead
With 2.8 billion mobiles currently in use worldwide and another 1.6 million added daily, we could be on the brink of a data traffic jam, according to The Economist.
- By Suzanne Fenton, Staff Reporter
- Published: 01:09 March 8, 2008
- Image Credit: Megan Hirons/Gulf News
- In Europe, in-use mobiles exceed the number of people, with penetration estimated to be around 103 per cent. In Dubai there is 100 per cent penetration in terms of number of mobile devices versus number of people, according to industry reports.
Dubai: With 2.8 billion mobiles currently in use worldwide and another 1.6 million added daily, we could be on the brink of a data traffic jam, according to The Economist.
In Europe, in-use mobiles exceed the number of people, with penetration estimated at 103 per cent. In Dubai there is 100 per cent penetration in terms of the number of mobile devices versus the number of people, according to industry reports.
A new phenomenon now taking hold in the communications industry is the concept of hyperconnectivity. This basically means that with 1.9 million wireless devices being connected to the network every day, you should be able to gain access to the network wherever you are in the world, whether in a metropolis or on a mountain.
A network can be simply defined as a medium that transfers voice, data and video from one point to the other, including telephone and internet connections.
According to Ramin Attari, vice president of Nortel's Middle East region, there are 10 billion microprocessors (the heart of a computer to you and me) globally. These include PDAs, iPods, laptops, mobiles and BlackBerries (not the fruity kind) among others. Even Nike has got in on the action by introducing sensor-enabled running shoes that provide up-to-the-minute performance data.
"And then you take it one stage further," said Attari, "and you've got coffee machines, washing machines etc, and they are all communications enabled. It gets pretty complex when you think about the possibilities of connectivity. We want devices to make our lives easier but also the network needs to be able to cope suddenly as all these new devices get connected."
Scientists at the Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are predicting that more than one trillion devices, mostly wireless, will be connected to the network in the next 15 to 20 years. By 2010, Nortel estimates there will be 10 devices connected to the network for every one person. This means the network will need to support five billion connection points.
Great impact
Hyperconnectivity is having a great impact on a wide spectrum of environments. For example, in a hospital environment in the US or the UK, doctors can locate specialists via phones, laptops or PDAs and can download and share patient information. And using a local wireless network, departments can share X-rays and other medical images, saving time spent on paperwork.
The market for such technology is still in its early stages in the UAE healthcare system. Radio Frequency Identification Devices can be used for inventory management, for tagging and tracking devices such as wheelchairs.
In the hospitality sector, Attari says, "In your hotel room a few years back, the phone was just a phone, to order room service or whatever.
"The telephone itself is now becoming more than just a telephone. They can advertise on the phone the specials, what the weather will be like tomorrow, dimming the lights. There's a whole host of things that can be done from your telephone screen.
"And in an education environment, it was all about sharing in a very physical way. If you look at the way people are sharing now it's very different. It's about using computer technology. Look at the amount of time wasted between trying to call someone just to get their voicemail, and they call you back and they get your voicemail. In a community environment, like education, everyone is now connected through hyperconnectivity."
In the business world, videoconferencing falls under the umbrella of hyperconnectivity. With so many busy people in companies travelling long distances, a lot of time and money is wasted on corporate travel.
One of the main reasons people do travel for business is that they want the real feeling of a meeting rather than feel they are talking through a computer screen into a void.
And now, high-definition technology is enabling people to experience non-vocal communications during videoconferences, such as body language, eye contact and even nervous sweating during virtual meetings.
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