Government Warns of Unavoidable Mobile Network Problems During the Olympics
- Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
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The government has warned of a drop in mobile network speeds during the Olympic Games in a Cabinet Office report.
“Additional capacity and coverage for mobile phone networks is being put in around Games venues. This will overlay the existing coverage provision and existing customers can expect a normal service during Games-time,” the report says. “However, at times of peak demand it is unavoidable that mobile networks may be slowed down by higher volumes of traffic.”
The report also warned that the internet speed, and the capacity available, may drop during the Games – and suggested that internet service providers might introduce data caps during peak times.
Jim Darragh, SVP & GM Stingray business unit, Riverbed Technology, disagrees with this approach, and suggests that investing in the right traffic management tools ahead of the Games is a better solution.
“Increased network traffic during the London Olympics could potentially be a huge strain on British companies if they dont have insight and control over their network,” says Darragh. “Whats worrying is that many network managers are completely unaware of activities happening over their company networks, and are completely unaware of the tools available which can give them complete visibility and the ability to manage and prioritise traffic. These tools can be vital for the health of the network during peak times such as the Olympics, and will allow complete control over network traffic, deciding which traffic types it admits and allowing certain business applications to be accelerated.”