Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/904009
maltatoday SUNDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2017 12 News MASSIMO COSTA INTERNET data transmission speeds of at least 1Gb/s should soon become a reality, as the Eu- ropean Commission has put in place goals for the availability of ultra-fast broadband 'gigabit' speeds across the European Un- ion. But what difference would these speeds make for consumers and businesses? The main reason behind the strive for such high internet speeds is connected to the in- creased need for the digitisation of European industry. It has been said that we are on the verge of a new industrial revo- lution, driven by new-generation computer technologies such as cloud computing, big data analyt- ics, 3D printing and robotics. Connectivity will be crucial to this digitisation, hence the idea of ensuring all European cities have access to ultra-fast mobile and fixed home internet services. What can be done with gigabit internet speeds Although we might consider our current internet speeds as suffi- ciently fast, especially when com- pared to dial-up modem speeds of the 1990s and early 2000s, a switch to gigabit speeds would bring with it a whole new techno- logical dimension. Below are some things which have the potential of becoming an everyday reality once such gi- gabit speeds become widespread • Public and private transport can be streamlined, with driver- less cars sending and receiving signals to and from other cars, traffic lights and emergency services, effectively eliminating gridlocks • Patients can remain in their home to receive diagnoses on their health and for post-opera- tive care, while doctors can assist one another through HD vide- oconferencing during surgeries • Very large amounts of data can be shared amongst research- ers online, in seconds. Likewise, hospitals can share information almost instantaneously. A typical CT scan typically takes 14 min- utes to send at current speeds, but only 40 seconds at gigabit speeds • Electrical smart grids can be automated and controlled re- motely through computers, with only the required power being transmitted to power grids, elim- inating wastage • Smart cities, using large sen- sor networks and other Internet of Things (a network of home appliances, vehicles and other physical devices, all connected through the internet) devices to resolve issues such as traffic and pollution through the collection of data • Students can attend classes without having to be physically present, with seamless teacher- student interaction through real- time HD video While it could be argued that some of these applications already exist, they are currently con- strained through cost, technologi- cal capability and availability. The broad deployment of fibre networks will allow for internet speeds which are sufficiently high to further develop and improve these future-oriented applica- tions, and will play a role in both mobile and fixed gigabit connec- tions. The European Commission's objectives The Commission is proposing that by 2025, all schools, transport stations and main public service providers and enterprises which are digital-centric, have access to fixed internet with download and upload speed of 1Gb/s, or 1000Mb/s of data per second. It also aims for EU homes to have access to internet speeds of a minimum of 100Mb/s, and for 5G mobile data speeds to be available in all urban areas by 2025. The Commission's objective is for at least one major city in each member state to have 5G mobile data services offered by 2020. 5G, short for 5th generation mobile networks, will be the suc- cessor to current 4G and 3G tech- nologies, which are significantly slower. The standard, which is still in the development phase, will of- fer mobile phone users internet download and upload speeds of at least 1Gb/s over the mobile net- work. This would essentially make mobile data speeds much faster than most current home broad- band packages. 5G requires considerably differ- ent technology than its precur- sors, 4G and 3G, and uses arrays of antennas rather than a single antenna to transmit data. At 1Gb/s, an average high defini- tion film of 3Gb in size would take around 30 seconds to download, and a little longer than four min- utes at 100Mb/s. In terms of financing, the Com- mission is encouraging both na- tional government and private companies to invest in ultra-fast network technologies. Gigabit Society, the promise of an ultra- fast world The broad deployment of fibre networks will allow for internet speeds which are sufficiently high to further develop and improve these future-oriented applications, and will play a role in both mobile and fixed gigabit connections