AT&T sees dual wireless network future

To accommodate consumers’ rapidly changing expectations, mobile operators will need to adopt a dual approach employing wide-ranging and shorter-ranging wireless networks together, according to John Stankey, AT&T’s president and chief executive officer of operations.

“I don’t think a single macro wireless network is sustainable over time, given the pace of spectrum availability and what’s actually out there in terms of fixed spectrum,” Stankey told a keynote crowd Thursday morning on the second day of the Supercomm trade show. “I think the reality is that there will be macro and micro networks. We’re starting down that path at AT&T, focusing on how we make WiFi and licensed spectrum a more seamless experience for customers. Other variants will come up on this over time. But to manage the kind of mobile experience customers will require and truly have the quality of service they need will require a multiple approach to network management in the wireless space. You’re going to see micro and macro in terms of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. This is a key architecture element we’re all going to have to come to grips with.”

As an example, Stankey cited events crowded with customers at which AT&T has seen WiFi handle 20% of the data load. “That’s pretty substantial, and it’s pretty important from a capital efficiency and architectural perspective,” he said.

These changes are needed due in part to unforeseen changes in how consumers use wireless devices, particularly smartphones, whose heavy data consumption has burdened wireless networks. “If you looked at how people were investing in [research and development] two years ago, they didn’t expect this level of portability as they were planning their infrastructure, and we’re seeing moments where we’re suffering through some of those problems,” Stankey said.