Mobile data is increasingly being used by security signaling products, but it is potentially under threat from a fast moving and highly competitive smartphone market.
The type of data SIMs typically used in mobile phones has found much use in our industry as a means of providing a secondary (or in some cases primary) wireless IP communication path for alarm signals and status data. To transmit this information, the majority of suppliers use the 2G wireless network, which is well suited to the task.
The 2G network is currently in the process of being decommissioned in many countries around the world. However in the UK it will remain in place for several years to come, thanks to a number of ongoing projects taking place that are making use of this network.
With the availability of low cost-networks, increasing numbers of sensors, and ever cheaper processors (not forgetting widespread smartphone usage) it seems likely that in the future more and more equipment will have some form of connectivity and end users will come to expect this as standard.
Smart meters being rolled out to millions of homes are also looking to 2G as the ideal means of transmitting data, and it is likely that sensor analytics for the purpose of providing effective domiciliary care and health monitoring services are going to be big business in the coming years.
This growing requirement for 2G connectivity requires capacity in the wireless spectrum. Fortunately, the small packets of alarm and sensor data that are sent via 2G do not require large resources, yet OFCOM has recently given the green light to repurpose this precious 2G bandwidth allocation for 4G services.
These 4G services are primarily aimed at the lucrative smartphone market where increasing demands for fast, streaming video data and rich media experiences mean that network providers are in some cases scrambling to have as much capacity as possible for their “prime time” services — potentially leading to less availability for the not-so-glamorous 2G data transmission used by text messages and our alarm systems, amongst others.
As the contest for the most stable and widely available 4G networks unfolds over the next few months, there is a chance that our services could be impaired, as providers effectively perform a triage of their network capacity and squeeze as much 4G capability out of their bandwidth as possible.
This could lead to widescale wireless network outages, requiring adequate capacity of fixed-line, secondary PSTN or IP paths, which can be a challenge for signaling providers.
Perhaps the long-term answer is to upgrade our devices to support 4G. But, until then, we must ensure that our networks are resilient and robust in light of these growing risks.