The bandwidth crunch: Can wireless technology meet the skyrocketing demand for mobile data?

Predictions abound on the growth of mobile data traffic driven by smart phones and tablet PCs that come with an expectation of broadband Internet connectivity everywhere and a demand for high quality video. The FCC's National Broadband Plan indicated that mobile data traffic in North America would increase by roughly 20 to 45 times between 2009 and 2014, and current data suggests these numbers may be exceeded. This paper examines how wireless technology can address the bandwidth challenge. We consider not only the track of cellular technology, but new approaches that promise improved spectral efficiency, use new spectrum, and rely on new network architectures. We recap cellular evolution from second generation through LTE-Advanced, address enhancements such as Coordinated Multipoint Transmission (CoMP) and examine other innovative multi-cell technology. More ambitious changes to cellular architecture such as relay nodes and terminal-to-terminal communications are discussed. Pico-cells, femto-cells, and forward-looking dense deployments are presented as promising approaches. New spectrum, including the use of TV white space is considered. We provide a quantitative assessment -perhaps a goal or perhaps another prediction - of what can be achieved.