Along with death and taxes, there seems to be another absolute that has emerged in our society that is almost just as persistent- upgrades. In the wide world of wireless this is never more apparent. Every year, we wait impatiently for Apple’s reveal day- to see what the latest iPhone version (now X) offers their users. Indeed, even if you are not a fan of IOS, you still might take a peek right?
The same holds true for the networks. I remember when the wireless network went from 3G to 4G (not as long ago as you might think). The experience was pretty breathtaking- with speeds up to 12Mb to the phone. That was pretty fast! The ability of that network and the devices we used on it changed the way we use those devices everyday. And, as always- this sets up our expectations for the next generation, which we seem to never lose sight of.
As luck would have it, this next gen network is about to be turned up, however with some interesting twists (if my predictions are correct). 5G is almost here, and if the test markets are any indication, we could experience up to 1Gb to our devices. The mind boggles, but it’s not so much what it will do for my (and my teenagers’) phone that’s got me interested enough to blog about it. It’s really what this means for a Businesses’ network availability in general.
I predict that 5G will bring meaningful internet to markets where other network means will no longer do (T1s) or are relatively costly to do (fiber). From where I sit- this is huge. There are more businesses getting their internet over T1 than you might think, and it’s for reasons other than cost (although that’s still a factor). It could not come at a better time too, for it’s been long talked about and it’s starting to happen; the copper T1 network is starting to be retired. The silver lining for us, is that the companies we have always known as our “cell provider” is about to fill that gap, offering us robust Internet for home and office.
Even better news for folks still on T1 is that the upgrade for that customer is speeds they have never experienced before, and from this blogger’s viewpoint, enables them to make business decisions they were unable to before. Perhaps even by late this year or early 2020, they will have the ability to unlock tools and platforms that could really take their organization to the next level.
Stay tuned as I keep my ear to the ground, for the network is about to go truly into the air.