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Smartphones weigh on mobile networks

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CIOL Bureau
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HELSINKI, FINLAND: A smartphone generates much less mobile data traffic than a laptop with a data card, but phones impose a load on the network which is much larger than anticipated, says a study.

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A boom in mobile data traffic -- boosted by laptops and smartphones -- is putting unprecedented stress on wireless networks around the world.

Delivering the same amount of data, a smartphone typically generates eight times the network signalling load of a laptop with a data card, a study by technology firm Airvana Inc showed.

"They are always on ... in a chatty way," said David Nowicki, vice president of marketing and product management at Airvana.

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Global annual shipments of smartphone handsets are projected to increase from nearly 200 million in 2009 to 450 million in 2013, according to market research firm iSuppli.

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