As the growth in data increases exponentially there is an acceptance that mobile operators will not be able to cope with the demand on their 3G or even their 4G, LTE networks they are rolling out. AT&T have already eased some of the strain by allowing data packages to include access via their 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots. Verizon too have teamed up with Boingo in a license deal that allows home broadband package users gain access via the Boingo hotspots around the US.

The solution of merging the two networks has also gained traction by offloading some of the mobile communication to Wi-Fi in the home where AT&T use their Microscell dual-network strategy to ease the strain on the network. This is where mobile phones capable of Wi-Fi are diverted through the Wi-Fi cable network to the core network of the operator and reduces the transmission over the spectrum.

Moving this to the next level where data is primarily consumed indoors would result in a grid of Microcells (femtocells) at homes and in offices. This could ease enormous amounts of traffic from the wide-area macro network.

Now go one step further where Wi-Fi signals are divided so that it is possible to share amongst neighbours over a shared network. Such a network of users exist in the Fon.com and Fonero program where owners of Fon Wi-Fi units can gain free access to any other user of a Fon unit around the globe. There are in excess of 700,000 such units around the world.

Finally using the technology of Sharedband where managed broadband services will bond ADSL lines as well as broadband lines from multiple providers and merge multiple Wi-Fi units to increase the upload and data download speeds significantly. In a multi-home apartment block  it would be possible to merge them all to significantly increase the upload and download speeds and spread the load.

It may be a complicated model if you’re sharing your neighbor’s broadband but technically it is no more than a configuration of contention used by most carriers and would hasten a 20-30 meg 5G service with existing cable connections.