Cell phone networks could clog up at the London 2012 Olympics

Most people will know what it is like trying to make a call on the stroke of midnight over new years. Phone lines are jammed and most of us will end up having to try and make that call a little later on, when the networks have been unclogged.

Well there is a chance that this kind of problem is going to occur this summer when the Olympics head to London.

The London 2012 Olympics that will last less than three weeks will see some 6 million people visit England's capital, all of which will have cell phones, well one would assume anyway. This includes all of the spectators from both the UK and abroad, the athletes and anybody they bring with them, officials, media, entourages and volunteers. Spokespeople for the Olympics have said it will be 11 million odd, but that is grossly exaggerated, as many of that number are included as tickets going on sale, which will obviously include many of the aforementioned categories.

I have digressed.....

The point that I am trying to make is that on top of everyone already in and around London, that is a lot of people sending text messages and making calls to each other, and this is bound to put a strain on the networks supporting them. Of course if you are reading this in America and thinking this won't affect you when you head over, well of course it will as while you are here you will be hijacking one of the UK networks, as we don't have your AT&T or Verizon Wireless carriers.

This could cause a problem and prevent people from using the internet on their phones as well, unless something is done in preparation.

It seems logical for networks, and the London 2012 organizers to consider making additional wifi hotspots in and around Olympic venues, where people are most likely going to be in need of using them. Or how about one giant Olympic wifi network, one that would be the biggest in London? I mean after all they are building the world's biggest McDonald's in the Olympic park!

You may think that it won't be such a big deal not being able to use your cell phone for a little while, after all you are there to watch the games and not make calls and surf the internet. However, what if you need to check the latest travel news, check a flight, book an additional night in a hotel. Any one of a number of things that we now do on our cell phones every day, that we may even take for granted, will possibly not be available.

Let's fact it, pretty much everybody these days has a cell phone, and anyone who can afford to jump on a plane and travel to London to watch the Olympics is going to be well off enough to have one. So pretty much every visitor is going to add strain to the network, and increase the possibility of it buckling.

Most people need to get on the internet for work, or any one of a number of reasons, so having access to wifi, or at worse the 3G network is something that is vital to them. With no wifi that means everyone will be on 3G and thus will end up having to pay more as that comes down to mobile data charges.

I know when I go abroad that data roaming charges are not cheap, so with every international visitor having to face this prospect while they are at the games, that is something that is going to disgruntle a fair few people. I generally switch my data roaming off as most smartphones will automatically switch to 3G when wifi goes out of range.

Even if a rumored public wi-fi network is built in time for the start of the games, it is unlikely to offer equal access to all users. While it is expected to be free to everyone, there will be speed and time limits for those who are not customers of the network who wins the bid to host it. Virgin mobile, for example, could offer its customers speeds up to 20 times faster than other guest users. Having read an article from the guardian online, I understand that one network bidder wants to slam a 15 minute a day limit on internet time.

With the games being little over a month away it is still uncertain as to what is going to happen. But it is worth being wary of this little problem if you, or anyone you know are heading over here for the games.

It is always a good idea to check what the deal is with your current network provider when it comes to using your cell phone abroad. They can sometimes amend your tariff to make things cheaper for you, and can also tell you how expensive data roaming charges will be(using your phones internet without wifi, so on the 3g network) as this could end up being rather expensive. If you are on pay as you go at least when your credit runs out you know the score, but those on a contract could come back to a very hefty cell phone bill indeed.

For more information on what the 3G network is, why not check out a page I have all about it on my website, the link is below:

http://www.how-to-text-message.com/what-is-3g-technology.php