We discuss the following topics in this blog:
- How Fibre Will Dictate the 5G Future?
- Will 5G Offer an Entirely Different User Experience?
- Future-Proofing Fibre for Operators
In addition to these topics, we shall also be answering the following FAQs:
- What is WiFi?
- What is an Optical Fibre Cable?
Contents
How Fibre Will Dictate the 5G Future?
Ankit Agarwal, CEO – Products Business, STL
5G presents an exciting opportunity for the telecom industry. In fact, it provides much more than that, promising a unique service which will create a vastly different world and experience for the end-user. With speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second and latency of one-to-five milliseconds expected to be achieved in the 5G world, the network is paving the way for a new era of technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Reality and autonomous driving.
Will 5G Offer an Entirely Different User Experience?
In emerging countries and hard-to-reach areas across the world, 5G will provide a unique service which will transform sectors such as education, healthcare and governments. By exploiting 5G’s increased bandwidth, these next-generation services can be delivered to locations which would not be accessible otherwise, ensuring that the digital divide can be closed, and new market opportunities can be achieved.
New Opportunities
Operators are also set to benefit from 5G’s arrival as the opportunity to launch new revenue-generating services emerges. We’ve already seen the evolution from 3G to 4G, making voice almost redundant as a revenue source and leading to operators finding new market openings by monetising on data – so much so that at one point between 80% and 90% of their revenue came from data. However, this has now plateaued, and operators are looking to adopt new revenue models centred around the high quality of service 5G will provide and which users and enterprises will be willing to pay premium for. As such, it comes as no surprise that operators, vendors and governments across the world are exploring how they can accelerate the network revolution 5G promises – and fibre is at the heart of these discussions.
Future-Proofing Fibre for Operators
In theory, fibre has no capacity limitation so can be used in network upgrades as backhaul for 5G. Countries across the world are already waking up to this fact, with many government-led broadband initiatives and targets being met with full-fibre offerings. But as demand for these services continues to rise and operators further expand their fibre footprints at a more rapid rate than ever before, the industry must also consider whether the skilled manpower to deliver the huge demand is available.
To face this obstacle head on, operators must coordinate their efforts with vendors, and build training programmes which will equip the workforce with the required skills. At STL, for example, we are driving this initiative with our own training course which aims to train around 10,000 individuals in India so that the next-generation network can be built within the next 10 years. Work must also be carried out on the fibre itself, ensuring it can be made and designed so that even with limited skilled man power, it can still be deployed at scale. To address this challenge, we are looking at designing pre-connectorised solutions, such as plug and play kits.
Conclusion
While there may be challenges ahead on the road to 5G, innovative work such as this will help ensure the technology’s full potential is realised – and that fibre will play a key role. With the 5G spectrum auction on the horizon and chip players looking to develop 5G chips for mobile phones in the next six-months, time is of the essence for the telecom industry and at STL we are committed to ensuring our customers don’t get left behind.
For more details: www.sterlitetech.com
Link to interview: https://www.totaltele.com/500681/Exclusive-5G-will-be-a-vastly-different-experience-for-the-end-user
FAQs
What is WiFi?
Put simply, WiFi is a technology that uses radio waves to create a wireless network through which devices like mobile phones, computers, printers, etc., connect to the internet. A wireless router is needed to establish a WiFi hotspot that people in its vicinity may use to access internet services. You’re sure to have encountered such a WiFi hotspot in houses, offices, restaurants, etc.
To get a little more technical, WiFi works by enabling a Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN that allows devices connected to it to exchange signals with the internet via a router. The frequencies of these signals are either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bandwidths. These frequencies are much higher than those transmitted to or by radios, mobile phones, and televisions since WiFi signals need to carry significantly higher amounts of data. The networking standards are variants of 802.11, of which there are several (802.11a, 802.11b, 801.11g, etc.).
What is an Optical Fibre Cable?
An optical fibre cable is a cable type that has a few to hundreds of optical fibres bundled together within a protective plastic coating. They help carry digital data in the form of light pulses across large distances at faster speeds. For this, they need to be installed or deployed either underground or aerially. Standalone fibres cannot be buried or hanged so fibres are bunched together as cables for the transmission of data.
This is done to protect the fibre from stress, moisture, temperature changes and other externalities. There are three main components of a optical fibre cable, core (It carries the light and is made of pure silicon dioxide (SiO2) with dopants such as germania, phosphorous pentoxide, or alumina to raise the refractive index; Typical glass cores range from as small as 3.7um up to 200um), Cladding (Cladding surrounds the core and has a lower refractive index than the core, it is also made from the same material as the core; 1% refractive index difference is maintained between the core and cladding; Two commonly used diameters are 125µm and 140µm) and Coating (Protective layer that absorbs shocks, physical damage and moisture; The outside diameter of the coating is typically either 250µm or 500µm; Commonly used material for coatings are acrylate,Silicone, carbon, and polyimide).
An optical fibre cable is made up of the following components: Optical fibres – ranging from one to many. Buffer tubes (with different settings), for protection and cushioning of the fibre. Water protection in the tubes – wet or dry. A central strength member (CSM) is the backbone of all cables. Armoured tapes for stranding to bunch the buffer tubes and strength members together. Sheathing or final covering to provide further protection.
The five main reasons that make this technology innovation disruptive are fast communication speed, infinite bandwidth & capacity, low interference, high tensile strength and secure communication. The major usescases of optical fibre cables include intenet connectivity, computer networking, surgery & dentistry, automotive industry, telephony, lighting & decorations, mechanical inspections, cable television, military applications and space.
