London’s Olympic Games are just a few days away and while much of the world is eagerly anticipating who will bring home the gold, the wireless industry has its eyes on how carriers will address the huge demand for mobile data services.

One thing is for sure, mobile cameras and social media have changed smartphone use drastically since the 2008 Olympic Games and according to The Guardian, there is fear that London’s mobile networks will fail, leaving users without the ability to even make a simple voice call.

According to Electronic Design, wireless traffic is predicted to more than double during the Olympics, with broadcast media, sports officials and personnel and the 5 million predicted visitors all trying to access the wireless network. The city that boasts some of the most highly used spectrum in the world, according to analyst Stephen Hartley of Ovum, is taking various precautions in an attempt to prepare, such as WiFi network overlays, new hotspots and constant network performance testing. Still, there is a great deal of fear and questioning of whether this planning will be enough.

So while the world’s eyes will be on the athletes, we’ll be watching to see if the mobile industry can pull off a win, or at least be able to compete, in this year’s Olympic Games. Stay tuned!