Hello everybody!
Today I’m going to
discuss a major topic today. That is 5G and Wifi 6 technologies,
their capabilities, and ponder where those technologies will possibly
lead us in the future.
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5G and wifi 6 will
build upon already successful technologies, and when combined
together will provide a successful underpinning for future Internet
of Things (IoT) technologies.
Both technologies
work on a principle of low latency and high bandwidth.
as implied by the
name, '5G' is the fifth generation of mobile wireless technology. its
predecessors introduced the ability to send text messages, search the
internet, and send/receive video data.
4G improved on the
performance of those previous generations by allowing for faster
connectivity with the demanding applications at its disposal.
So what is low
latency?
Latency refers to
delays of data transferring over a network.
Low latency networks
are able to transfer massive amounts of data from one computer system
to another.
Examples of where
low latency is necessary, include; video calls, online gaming and
stock market trading.
Long delays in data
transmission, for example; in stock market trading, could be the
difference between making a lot of money and losing a lot of money.
The information is constantly changing, so stockbrokers need the most
recent data available.
Whereas online
gaming and video calls don't have such lethal consequences when
experiencing high latency, it could still incur stuttering
unintelligable video playback, especially when attempting to stream
high quality content.
What is high
bandwidth?
Bandwidth refers to
the amount of data that can be transmitted over a network at any one
time.
When this is
combined with low latency, the transmission of data can appear
seamless. low latency is kind of like a refresh rate which is
measured in milliseconds. This makes transfers practically
unnoticeable.
The applications for
5G and wifi 6 are, in short, mind-blowing. Compared to what we have
seen in recent generations, this is a whole new level.
for everyday
end-users using these technologies, they can do a number of different
things; from downloading full HD movies in a matter of seconds,
instead of a matter of minutes (as is the current standard).
Even that will seem
infintesimally small in comparison when compared to other real world
applications.
The technologies
will allow for greater connectivity, not just in the big cities, but
in rural areas as well.
Cisco are running a
project they call '5G rural first' which aims at providing excellent
internet connectivity for the areas that recently didn't have this
opportunity. This will in turn provide further benefits and
opportunities to a wider array of people.
This technology
coupled with smart sensors could help farmers predetermine when to
plant crops or when to harvest. It could even help save entire loads
of crops by determining when intervention is necessary.
In the big cities,
it could mean truly ubiquitous computing environments. smart cars,
that are autonomous, always connected and receiving updates on
traffic, road-works. The cars data could even link to a smart phone
if a fault becomes present and requires attention. Okay so maybe I'm
getting too carried away now, but who is to say, that wouldn't be the
next logical step in autonomous transport?
However, there are
downsides too, naturally. 5G works in a higher band wireless
frequency to 4G. This will require more attenas to be built, for the
signal to travel further. whilst this may not be an issue in big
cities. It will certainly become costly in more rural areas.
Wifi 6 will also
improve upon its predecessors, in terms of speed but will also
improve on its capacity to carry data, and do it more efficiently.
The Wifi Alliance has stated that Wifi 6 is designed to work
alongside current standards and not replace them entirely.
These technologies
are currently in the experimental stages, and whilst they are going
to be implemented later this year and in 2020. It is not for a few
years yet, that we will greatly be able to see the impact that they
are having, and the applications they are going to be applied too
which will change our lives in ways we probably cannot even concieve
of yet. As of 2020 it is estimated that there are going to be a
staggering 30.73 billion connected devices. all receiving updates and
providing data to its users. The call for something that can handle
this unbelievable number of connected devices is on the verge of
being answered.
The question itself
though begs, with IoT devices currently numbered in the billions,
where do we go from here?
Bibliography
https://www.informatica.com/gb/services-and-training/glossary-of-terms/low-latency-definition.html#fbid=UlQb9osRwpP
"low latency."
Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2019. Web. 3 Mar. 2019.
<https://www.definitions.net/definition/low+latency>.
https://www.5gruralfirst.org/
