Following Apples iPad announcement, and all the resulting fanfare, concern has been raised about the pressures a new wave of Tablet owners could put on data connections. And, though the new iPad touts 4G through some US operators, much of that pressure will be on wi-fi.
Among those warning of the effects is Arnaud Le hung, EMEA marketing director at Ruckus Wireless.“These devices, while great for consumers, are placing existing wireless networks under considerable pressure, not least because for many wi-fi has become the de facto choice. After all, the new iPad, and most of its peers, can no longer plug into traditional wired networks,” says Le hung. “Consumers today expect seamless wireless coverage and this is causing considerable headaches for businesses, hotspot providers and mobile network providers alike. In reality, many corporate wi-fi networks and hotspots are still not up to the task of supporting this influx of devices, especially with questions around security and integration.”
Its an opinion shared by Mervyn Kelly, EMEA marketing director at Ciena. “While network operators clearly welcome the excitement Apple launches generate, with each new Apple product comes increased challenges around connectivity and capacity. A recent report by Arieso shows that iPhone 4S users consumed twice the amount of data as on the iPhone 4. The new iPad is capable of replaying HD content at even greater resolutions than a typical 1080p HD TV. Streaming HD video typically requires at least three times as much bandwidth as SD content,” says Kelly. “Operators need to look at how they can develop their networks to support the inexorable rise in bandwidth demands, while keeping their cost base low. Key to this will be ensuring that the backhaul portion of the network can cope.” 
Of course, both companies have a certain amount of investment in the problem – Ruckus provides enterprises and carriers with wi-fi technology, while Ciena offers its Carrier Ethernet solution – but its nevertheless a valid concern. An always-on mobile culture is attractive, but is the infrastructure ready?
