If the iPhone can do video calling, will AT&T's network handle the pressure?
Apple is known for keeping a tight lid on any information related to its upcoming products. As a result, rumors fly high and it's not until the day of release or the official announcement of a new product that the public knows for sure what's coming from Apple. To that end, it's no surprise that the latest rumor around the "iPhone 4G" supporting video calling is getting everyone excited.
Here's some quick background information: video calling on the iPhone has been rumored for a while, and even before the iPhone 3GS made its debut, there were rumored photos floating around, depicting a spot for a front facing camera. Well, the 3GS has been out for a while now, so the people are hoping for a refresh in the form of the "iPhone 4G". What makes these latest rumors around video calling a bit more possible, though, is that a substantial mobile operator in the UK seems to be the source of them.
According to FSM.com, the UK's O2 has updated its latest iPhone plans and in this update is the addition of prices for video calls. While that might be enough to get the rumors really flowing, the system files in the latest SDK are also showing the ability to do video calls.
All signs are definitely pointing towards video calls coming--at least to the UK. The bigger question will be whether or not AT&T will offer the video calling and if it does, will the network be able to handle it?
Recently AT&T mentioned that it wasn't worried about its network's ability to handle the traffic from the iPad since it figured most people would use it on Wi-Fi. With the next generation iPhone potentially offering video calling, one can only assume that AT&T will once again be called out for its network capacity issues.
As an iPhone user I would like the ability to do video calling but definitely don't want to see my quality of service suffer. It seems that my iPhone is finally working the way I need it to on the AT&T network, but with the introduction of the iPad and the potential of video calling, my iPhone will no doubt suffer the consequences.