Will O2’s network be able to carry the traffic?

O2 has won the exclusive contract to sell the new Palm Pre in Britain and the contract means that O2 will be the only UK network selling the Palm Pre and Apple’s iPhone. These exclusive deals for O2 will consolidate its position as the dominant network service provider for smart phones. O2’s parent company Telefonica will also sell the phone exclusively in Spain, Ireland and Germany, buyers of the new phone will be tied into a two-year deal. But given the huge demand for these data hungry devices, will O2’s network capacity be sufficient to cope with the expected surge in phone demand and usage when the Palm Pre arrives in Europe this autumn? Existing iPhone users may find that network access speeds and reliability will suffer and thousands of extra users join the O2 system. More here from dot.life blog written by Rory Cellan-Jones.