O2's 'intelligent' network adjusts masts to boost your signal
Mobile network infrastructure isn't exactly an enthralling dinner-table topic, and yet somehow, O2's actually managed to make it sound interesting. The carrier's announced that it's switched on its new "self-optimising intelligent network," which responds to customers' needs in real-time. Apparently it's the first of its kind in the UK, but what makes it so smart exactly? Well, according to O2, the network constantly monitors mobile usage in any given area. When it notices demand catching up with supply, causing a decline in network quality, O2's mobile antennas are remotely repositioned to boost signal and bandwidth in response. Or, as the company puts it, the network "determines the best possible coverage and capacity parameters for all customers in a defined area."
O2 claims its remote-controlled antennas can optimise service "in a matter of minutes," but the new network isn't just about short-term gains. It's currently able to monitor the performance of call, text and data traffic (all anonymous, of course) from two million O2 customers each day. The plan is that by November, it'll be able to analyse performance data for all 24 million customers, so in the long term, network quality can be improved where it's needed most. This'll all happen behind the scenes of course, but if you find your phone hopping onto ropey Costa hotspots a little less often, it might well be thanks to this new "intelligent network."
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
