Happy belated New Year! The texting traffic jam
As 2008 drew near and the ball was falling in Times Square millions of people on the east coast were sending their happy new year messages via text. In fact, so many texts were flying around that the networks were overloaded and, consequently, many messages arrived hours later or were dropped altogether. Basically the networks became like the turnpike at rush hour.
The same problem occurred on 9/11, during the 2003 blackout and during Katrina, and since those disasters the number of cell phone subscribers has nearly doubled from 128 million users in 2001 to around 233 million in 2006. Not only does the number of users continue to grow, but the average use continues to increase as well - people are now calling, texting, multimedia messaging and using their phones for web access. In fact, analysts say that in 2007, for the first time, cell phone use surpassed land line use.
The networks have been working to expand their capacities to accommodate the ever growing numbers. According to Verizon Wireless spokesperson Jeffrey Nelson $6 billion is invested annually in their network. Yet they are still playing catch up. One possible solution lies in the fact that text messages use a different transmission system than phone calls. In the future there may be two separate networks, one strictly for calls and the other for texting and multimedia. The primary concern now however is to keep the networks clear during emergency situations for necessary use. The proletariat should, "in an emergency situation, stay off the phone," according to Joe Farren, vice president of public affairs for CTIA - the Wireless Association. Get real though, that simply is not going to happen. See more here.
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