By Alexia Sparling, an insider at Lease Advisors
The incessant need for wireless data is not solely motivated by smart phone usage. Another driving force is the increased demand for video bandwidth. As incidents of crime in public settings grow more commonplace, the demand for live streaming video surveillance increases as a direct result. More and more often, government and state agencies, companies, and even individuals are relying on video surveillance technology to provide an added layer of protection against crime. The bandwidth needed to support this technology can infringe on cellular networks. Building additional cellular towers could be key in supporting this growing need for more bandwidth and faster speeds.
In 2011, former mayor of the city of Saginaw, Michigan, Greg Branch, explained that although crime was on the decline in Saginaw, there was still a desire for greater protection from criminal acts. The mid-size city was increasing its security in response to the shooting of senator Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Arizona. Brach explained that ‘every city faces budget pressures’ and that ‘the city could not afford to put more police on the street’ due to the lack of funding. In response, the federal government awarded Saginaw a grant of $300,000 that funded the installation of seventeen new cameras at a local park.
Three years later, the same concerns for safety persist around the country. Closed circuit television has become an affordable alternative to expanding local law enforcement. In 2013, the city of Seattle, Washington, installed surveillance equipment while entering into a monitoring agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Las Vegas, New Jersey, Baltimore, and New York City have also accepted DHS grants in exchange for cameras and other surveillance tools. This continuous, live-streaming surveillance requires a great deal of bandwidth. Demand for bandwidth is not a matter of trivial internet surfing, but one of security and safety. As increasing security concerns add to the demand for faster download speeds and more bandwidth, the telecommunications industry needs to move quickly to meet the outstanding demand for greater access to wireless data.
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