The next generation of bend-improved fibers will be a critical tool for network providers and operators working to support 5G.
Around the bend
What You Need to Know About 5G in 2020
The shift to 5G feels like a tech revolution happening in slow motion. In 2019, AT&T and Verizon, the two largest American carriers, lit up their 5G networks in a small number of cities. Handset makers released only a handful of phones compatible with the new standard. The overwhelming majority of us saw no meaningful improvement to our cellular networks.
AT&T to deploy 5G network plus edge services to Deloitte University
AT&T and Deloitte University will bring 5G network connectivity and edge computing services to Deloitte to help the college transform the future of digital corporate learning and workplace collaboration in the university’s 700,000 sq. ft. leadership and learning center located near Dallas in Westlake, Texas. The new communications platform will help enable DU to explore new technologies and innovations to enhance experiential learning programs and overall guest experiences. MEC and 5G will be installed at the center to support specific use cases.
Smart city technology for a more liveable future
As cities get smarter, they are becoming more livable and more responsive—and today we are seeing only a preview of what technology could eventually do in the urban environment. Now technology is being injected more directly into the lives of residents. Smartphones have become the keys to the city, putting instant information about transit, traffic, health services, safety alerts, and community news into millions of hands.
How fiber cleanliness is crucial to 5G connectivity
To assure reliability and performance, and avoid potential problems such as insertion loss (weakened signal), back reflection (signal is diverted back to its source), or a total system shutdown, it’s essential that all connections are perfectly clean. This is especially important with a 5G network because every milliwatt of power is necessary for optimum connectivity and peak performance.
Are Utilities Ready for Smart Buildings?
One of today’s highly promising innovations in energy operations is grid-interactive efficient buildings. Referred to as GEBs, these structures are connected to the grid and draw on distributed energy sources. Among other benefits, GEBs offer hold the potential to lower property operations costs. But are utilities keeping up? A new study from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy tackles that question.
Tackling the convergence of data centers and central offices
Supporting low-latency data applications and ‘standard’ telco services in the same facility will require operators to develop two different mindsets. At the same time as supporting the “rip and replace” data center approach, it will also be necessary to support the evolving needs of the traditional central office infrastructure over a long lifetime. But, as with any change in approach, it’s inevitable that planning and managing converged services in central offices will require its own best practices – and offer its own unique challenges.
Five new ways to think about 5G: The speed trap
5G means that, for the first time, last-mile latency will often be less than backbone latency. If your data center is a long way from lots of your customers, your quality of service will be poorer (i.e. noticeably slower) than competitors with physically closer data centers. The potential answer to this problem has been around for a while – edge and fog computing. These may finally come into their own as last-mile latency drops and the sheer volume of data from the IoT skyrockets.
Some Say, “With 5G, No Need for Fiber Networks.” They Are Wrong
This week, I read an article stating that 5G “gives developers the ability to scale up projects more easily because there’s no need to build extensive fiber-optic networks to keep data flowing.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, fiber is the essential backbone for all 5G networks to operate, for fronthaul, midhaul, backhaul, and the densification needed to network between small cells.
Telecom Industry Must Develop Trustworthy 5G Equipment Supply Chains
As we build out 5G infrastructure and applications, with more connected devices and data than ever before, we must all do everything we can to build and operate trusted, reliable networks that minimize our exposure to cyberattacks and espionage. The question, as ever, is how. TIA CEO Dave Stehlin calls for the use of industry-driven standards and programs to protect the security of the supply chain.
