Those fearing that having an intermittent internet connection would make them unable to have an Xbox One can be reassured by the news that the daily license refresh required in order to keep the console working will require a very small data transfer.
The amount of data required is so small ("kilobytes, not megabytes") that a mobile phone tethered to the console would be sufficient, according to Microsoft's Phil Spencer.
In an interview with GameInformer Spencer confirmed: "It's kilobytes, not megabytes. You can also set your console to always have the latest bits in a standby state."
Later, during the same interview, Spencer reiterated: "If you have no ability to connect to the Internet, the Xbox One is not the console for you."