US Government Sounds Alarm over iPad Wireless Capabilities

A staffer in the Obama administration is signaling that devices like Apple’s iPad will spell trouble for the future demands on networks. Phil Bellaria offers examples such as the network outages occurring when AOL first introduced unlimited Internet access in 1996.

“Apple’s iPad announcement has set off a new round of reports of networks overburdened by a data flow they were not built to handle,” Phil Bellaria, director, Scenario Planning, Omnibus Broadband Initiative, writes. “These problems are reminiscent of the congestion dialup users experienced following AOL’s 1996 decision to allow unlimited Internet use. For months users had trouble connecting and, once they did connect, experienced frequent service outages. The FCC even held hearings on the problem.”

Bellaria reminds folks that, “The congestion problem circa 1996-97 revealed an intense latent demand for Internet access.” In a similar manner, he explains, “Wireless network congestion today reveals intense demand for wireless broadband. Widespread use of smartphones, 3G-enabled netbooks, and now, perhaps, the iPad and its competitors demonstrate that wireless broadband will be a hugely important part of the broadband ecosystem as we move ahead.”

“With the iPad pointing to even greater demand for mobile broadband on the horizon, we must ensure that network congestion doesn't choke off a service that consumers clearly find so appealing or frustrate mobile broadband's ability to keep us competitive in the global broadband economy,” Bellaria concludes.

Upon introducing the iPad, Apple revealed it was going to ship two different models, each equipped with different wireless capabilities and storage options. While the base model is WiFi only and starts at $499, the version boasting WiFi + 3G can go up to $829 for 64GB of storage. The company touts the tablet as being a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books, and more.