What Happens When A 3G Network Gets Too Full?

We all know that network performance degrades the more people are connected, but it’s always seemed safe to assume that commercial mobile phone networks would be able to handle large numbers of people. However, the limitations of current setups have been exposed this week, with the news that Optus has decided to suspend selling its Fusion Wireless 3G broadband and phone packages, which provided both Internet and phone services via the 3G mobile network. The reason? “To ensure that we deliver an optimal service to our customers,” according to Optus, which might be sensibly translated as “we’re not managing to do that with the current bunch of wireless Fusion users”. Whether you’re an Optus customer or not, it’s a useful reminder that relying on a single connection for all your telephone and Internet needs can put you in a tricky position if things go wrong, because pretty much nothing will work if anything goes wrong. I get my wireless broadband from an entirely different company to my mobile and ISP service for that reason; what backup strategies do you use to ensure you’re always connected?