Driven by increasing digitalisation, connectivity has become a defining feature of our modern society. With governments and private enterprises investing significantly in linking economies, countries and communities, connectivity has become the oxygen of many digital and business transformation strategies.
Today, network-connected devices are multiplying. These tools bring important implications for the ecosystem of wired and wireless technologies, products and services, providing the foundation for the digital future. Increasingly, companies require fast reliable connectivity wherever and whenever they need it.
Moreover, the success of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and augmented reality depends on fast networks. These technologies rely on data being collected, often using small sensors and other devices. That data needs to be sent to processing engines that can help organisations use the data to make quick and real-time decisions.
The future is about connectivity. According to the World Bank, with the world’s population expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, the next decade will shape and create new demands for global connectivity. The companies that will succeed moving forward are those that can seize the opportunities brought by technology innovations and leverage them to make valuable connections across industries and markets. Here are five trends that will drive the future of connectivity:
Fibre optics
Global businesses today demand faster, more secure and larger capacity communication systems for their network operations. Fibre optic technology is expected to play a major part in this space.
A study by Research and Markets highlighted that the compound annual growth rate for the fibre optic market could reach 8.5 percent by 2025. This means that more industries will be looking to invest in the solutions presented by this technology.
Over the recent years, fibre optics has established itself as the main alternative for high-speed connectivity to support the growth of data, voice and video transmission, both for homes and businesses.
Fibre optic implementations today represent the key element for the technological infrastructure that will consolidate the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities. It will also play a pivotal role in enabling developments in 5G.
Smart and hyperconnected buildings
As nations across the globe race towards achieving their smart city ambitions, smart and hyperconnected buildings will soon be the norm.
A study by analyst firm Berg Insights revealed that by 2022 the installed base of connected building automation devices will reach 483 million units worldwide. The report also noted that connected devices will generate revenues of around $2.7 billion for the Internet of Things market this year.
Smart buildings are comprised of multiple components such as HVAC, lighting, electricity, security, telecommunications, multimedia, IT and access control that are working in harmony. These systems are well-equipped for integrated and automated management and control, ensuring increased energy efficiency, security, usability and accessibility.
The advantages of smart buildings go beyond energy savings and optimised building operations. For many organisations, it can also provide benefits such as increased productivity and elevated customer experiences.
As smart and hyperconnected buildings become a reality, the need for solutions that can provide greater connectivity with low latency will also continue to rise.
Factories of the future
‘Smart factories’ or ‘Factories of the future’ rely on fully integrated and collaborative systems that can generate intelligent data. It leverages a plethora of technology innovations to seamlessly coordinate people, processes and real-time data into a holistic, digitally connected ecosystem. These kinds of facilities are context-aware as they can not only access and analyse data, but can also learn from experience. They can interpret and gain insights from data sets to forecast trends and events to help organisations to implement smart workflows and automated processes.
The global market for smart factories is forecasted to reach $214.2 billion by 2026, driven by increasing investments in automation systems and advances in manufacturing technologies to achieve mass production and push overall efficiency and productivity.
Network connectivity allows smart factories to utilise the data gathered from a facility’s connected ecosystem to develop autonomous, adaptive and flexible responses to changing and dynamic conditions. Ensuring the successful realisation of the factories of the future requires a network infrastructure that’s robust, reliable and future-proof. Innovations such as fibre optics are ideally positioned to be the backbone of smart factories as they can facilitate fast data sharing and industrial automation.
Sustainable network solutions
For many organisations, sustainability initiatives have become an important business mandate as nations across the globe call on industry players to do their part to mitigate the effects of climate change. With mobile traffic expected to continue to increase exponentially in the near future, energy efficiency has gradually become a concern when it comes to network design and the need for tools that can address this will grow.
When it comes to sustainability, fibre optics are significantly more eco-friendly than copper cables. Fibre is more cost- and power efficient to operate as it can support high connectivity with minimal loss of data transmission.
Furthermore, fibre optics are more sustainable by nature. They are made of silicate, which can be extracted and recycled at a reasonable cost. They also have a longer lifecycle as compared to copper cables.
Rise of the metaverse
Over the past decade, the connectivity industry has focused on creating the necessary infrastructure to support billions of people online.
Today, as the lines between the physical and digital world continue to blur, we are entering a new stage of technology evolution – the metaverse. This virtual world will call for vast enhancements in capacity and fundamental shifts in how networks are architected and deployed, which will need industry-wide collaboration among tech companies, mobile network operators, policymakers and everyone in between.
The rise of the metaverse signals a new era for connectivity. Making the virtual world truly immersive and functional will require a robust technological infrastructure, capable of providing all the computing capacity, storage and bandwidth. In line with this, the technologies that best satisfy this demand such as fibre optics will be instrumental in making the metaverse a reality.
