In our increasingly connected world, is the internet poised to keep up with demand? Don’t assume that to be the case, warns Mark Fairchild, Exela’s Smart Office President in a recent article for Read/Write. Regular readers of the Exela Blog may already know that Exela’s Smart Office is a collection of solutions designed to build a better, more efficient workplace by driving productivity and optimizing customer experience and employee satisfaction. Many of Exela’s Smart Office offerings incorporate various iterations of the Internet of Things, which, as we discussed here, relies on collecting data in digital form from all the “things” that are connected to the Internet that are not necessarily your computer.
According to Statista, it’s expected there will be 75 billion “things” connected by the year 2025,[1] and, Mark points out technological advances will enable them to perform within a range that’s four times greater, twice the speed, and eight times the bandwidth of current connected devices. Now, add to that the fact that more and more businesses are not only jumping on the “smart office” bandwagon but also entering data so-collected into business processes to take them from manual to automated. But all of this will require increasingly fast and consistent data transfer, to meet the increased demand for connectivity and automation. Currently, it appears the U.S., which is ranked way down at tenth in the world for fixed broadband speeds, has quite a way to go in that regard.
Why is the US falling behind in internet speed?
Mark suggests it’s the current infrastructure, which he believes will need to be upgraded to keep up with the expected demand. “Only so much data can be crammed through coaxial cables and copper wires,” he writes. Unfortunately, the oligopolized structure of the U.S. internet service provider (ISP) market disincentivizes upgrades.
“In a more open market, heightened competition might push ISPs to offer the latest innovations in data transmissions (such as fiber optic networks) in order to maintain a healthy market share,” writes Mark. That’s why he suggests it could be advantageous to open the market to more providers and put more competitors in the space. But opening the market requires repeal and/or revision of those laws that made monopolies possible in the first place. Even then, opening the market comes with built-in challenges, including the enormous investment that entering the ISP space entails--the time and money involved in gaining access to public rights of way for the purpose of placing broadband wires.
Three possible solutions
One alternative Mark puts forth is for ISPs and governments to form public-private partnerships to create a new entry into the market (essentially, a publicly funded but privately run organization). Another option would be classifying internet service as a public utility. “Utilities can be strictly regulated for quality and cost controls because these services are considered too important to leave entirely up to market forces,” Mark points out. Ideally, this would open up internet access to more people as well, including the marginalized. A third option would be eschewing land-based internet infrastructure altogether and moving to space instead.
Now that one sounds intriguing, no? If not to you then at least to Elon Musk, who is already on the project. His SpaceX is in the process of constructing a constellation of satellites — Starlink — to provide space-based internet access. In fact, late last year, Fortune reported Musk was able to send a Tweet through space, using Starlink.
Is the future now?
It’s possible Starlink’s space-based broadband will become widely available in the U.S. as early as this year. We’ll stay tuned and keep you updated. In the meantime, find out why Exela’s Smart Office isn’t just good for business; it’s also good for the planet.
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/471264/iot-number-of-connected-devices-worldwide/
