The future mobile infrastructure: challenges and opportunities [Industry Perspectives]

Facing an explosion in traffic demand, driven by the evolution of smart mobile devices exploiting a flat charging model, the infrastructure supporting mobile devices is presented with formidable challenges, but also creative opportunities, which will help manifest the potential of present and future mobile networks. In this short column we explore, at a high level, a number of the challenges and opportunities associated with the mobile infrastructure. In our broad definition, we consider here as part of the mobile infrastructure all the wired networking, storage, and computing elements required to deliver a modern user experience to smart mobile devices (e.g., from base station processing elements, to the high-end IP routers in the core, to the centers supporting content delivery and application processing).