Spectrum crunch: Your smartphone may soon stop working

The US mobile phone industry is running out of capacity to serve its customers. While time-saving measures are being taken, dropped calls and slow data speeds, even on the best networks, may soon become the norm. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The problem is known as "spectrum crunch" and it is becoming an issue as an increasing number of people consume what is a naturally limited resource.

All energy travels in waves, and those waves have different frequencies; that is some waves are longer or shorter than others. All radiation fits into what is called the "electromagnetic spectrum." This spectrum, or range of waves, covers all radiation that exists. On the harmless side, the longer more gentle waves are known as radio waves. In the middle, there is infrared, which we can feel as heat. Above that there is the visible part of the spectrum, which includes all the light we can see. At the extreme end, there are the more dangerous x-rays and gamma rays - what we typically think of when we hear the word "radiation."

Cell phones use radio waves, which travel at the speed of light providing virtually instant communication. However, this band of the electromagnetic spectrum is finite, meaning that when all frequencies have been used, there will be no more free space, and no more can be created.

This matters to you because it will soon start to cost you more money, as demand increases and the supply becomes restricted. It will also mean more dropped calls and slower data - all at a time when cell phone and data usage is just beginning to peak. 

This is a genuine concern as wireless use skyrockets around the world. In some places, more people are equipped with mobile phones than have television, such being the flexibility of the devices. Within the next decade, the vast majority of the people on earth will have not just a cell phone, but a smartphone. And smartphones are consuming most of the data as people use them to stream video content, download image files, check email, and more. 

For now, wireless carriers are beginning to slow demand for this limited resource by slowing or capping usage and by mulling over higher rates. Already, a person who uses a tablet, such as an iPad, can expect within one to two years, to spend more on the data charges than on the device itself. And it will only get worse.

In addition to curbing demand, the US government is on the verge of releasing more of the spectrum to cellular providers. The US has long claimed some of the best parts of the spectrum for use by the military and NASA. However, it is likely that some, but not all, of that spectrum will be released. Also, changes in legislation may allow parts of the spectrum to be sold or exchanged to make more of it available for cellular use. 

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But in all cases, these are only temporary measures that will merely delay, but not stave off crisis forever. Eventually, every frequency will become saturated with demand and when that happens, we can expect broad changes in how we use our mobile devices and the costs associated with them. 

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