The United Kingdom’s largest mobile network said Tuesday that it was having problems keeping up with the increased demands placed on its system by Apple’s iPhone and other advanced smartphones. The admission follows on the heels of recent statements by AT&T executives that the heavy data demands of iPhone users are straining the carrier’s ability to serve users in U.S. metropolitan markets such as New York City and San Francisco, Calif.
O2 CEO Robert Dunne told the Financial Times newspaper Tuesday that an “explosion” in data demand from smartphone users is hindering the ability of some network users to transmit data as well as place or receive telephone calls in London.
“Where we haven’t met our own high standards, then there’s no question, we apologize to customers for that fact,” Dunne said, according to the Times. “But it would be wrong to say O2 has failed its customers en masse.”
Better Traffic Controls
Dunne told the Times that O2 is in the process of installing 200 additional mobile base stations in London. Meanwhile, the carrier is consulting with smartphone manufacturers such as Apple and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion about what can be done to reduce the strain placed on its network by the latest handset apps.
One of the ways in which handset makers can make a vital contribution is through the introduction of more efficient software technologies, noted Lisa Pierce, an independent wireless analyst at the Strategic Networks Group. “For example, RIM has specifically developed a proprietary capability where it supports compression over the air today, so handset makers can help,” she said.
Dunne also said O2 — which has 46.7 million customers in the U.K. — is currently working on software modifications with infrastructure supplier Nokia Siemens Networks. The goal is to make it possible for the carrier to better manage the…
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