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DiggLAS VEGAS — The only thing missing from the Consumer Electronics Show is connectivity. Trying to find a signal of any kind during this geek fest has become more frustrating with each passing year. Today has been no different. In fact, it seems to be even worse.
While AT&T Mobility made all kinds of noise about 4G this morning at its developer conference, my AT&T devices were barely holding on to a 2G signal. Sure, the event was deep inside the bowels of the Palms Casino Resort, but that just begs the question: If AT&T’s coverage sucks there, why did it choose to hold an event for press, analysts and developers there?
4G of any technology flavor sounds awesome, but I’d be happy with some consistent 3G at this point.
Each of the big four carriers are pulling out all the stops this week to convince everyone here and the world over that they finally have the answer to our mobile communication woes, but I’m not buying it.
They haven’t even figured out how to adequately cover Las Vegas, especially when 120,000 people descend on this city for CES at the beginning of every year.
Service is what counts most in this space and when I’m not getting service that I already feel like I’m overpaying for, I feel ripped off.
It makes me wonder if this industry can ever really deliver on the promise of “mobile broadband.” Until mobile broadband means I can actually make calls and connect to the Internet during CES, put me down as a non-believer.
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“They haven’t even figured out how to adequately cover Las Vegas, especially when 120,000 people descend on this city for CES at the beginning of every year.”
But that’s just the problem, isn’t it?
We have to understand that it doesn’t make sense to overspend to build a network that can handle “anything you throw at it”. The wireless carriers plan capacity and coverage with statistical forecasts of usage. Then, 120,000 EXTRA people come to town for 3 days. Do you build your network based on those three days? OK, maybe carriers should plan for that number of people. It’s Vegas, after all.
But then figure that for CES, those 120k people are each bringing about 3 connected devices (laptop, tablet, smartphone, other) and that they are advanced users that do video conferencing, MMS, cloud services, and that they are constantly communicating with each other for show logistics, and that those that aren’t communicating are demonstrating their devices, video content, services, or products using wi-fi or 3G or 4G. The bandwidth demands in Las Vegas spike off the charts this week. And even more so when you concentrate those people in a conference hall or room.
It’s always been the case that cellular or wifi frequencies and networks are overwhelmed at telecom trade shows. I don’t see it getting fixed, because we are all trying to access and demonstrate the latest services in the same place. Install better networks? We’ll demonstrate more cutting edge, always-on, demanding apps and devices.
And it’s likely to get even worse: the “Internet of things” mean that a whole bunch of things that previously weren’t connected here at CTIA (fridges, Roomba vacuums, toys…) will also be hitting the airwaves…and streaming video!
Spectrum is limited. Always has been, and will be for the forseeable future. Unless the FCC can invent more spectrum, we should cut everyone some slack here at CES.