FEATURE Wireless Technology
Dawn of the new Internet era
There are demands for more devices and more speed, yet the infrastructure is lagging behind, says Vincentas Grinius, CEO at IPXO
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ncreased use of Internet services, broader application of IoT devices and COVID-related move to remote work are just some factors accelerating the transition to the new era of the Internet. However, the current network architecture is falling behind the imposed expectations to support new-age integrations, leaving us to wonder if the gap will close up any time soon.
Exponential growth The use of Internet resources has been growing exponentially, reinforcing the need for a more capable cyberspace infrastructure to support the immense demand. Although many complex tech solutions are leading the Internet to a new era, the current network architecture is lagging behind progress, raising the question if the fallback will force current developments to hit the brakes until it can catch up.
Business Insider projects there will be over 41 billion IoT devices by 2027 – a staggering growth compared to 2019, when there were only about 8 billion such devices. The fast-paced development of the Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the main drivers, pushing the network to evolve. Heavily reliant on real-time data, IoT needs signifi cant speeds to utilise its full potential. Low latency and high-speed data processing are prerequisites for IoT applications. Since 4G is fairly limited in terms of signal strength, the need for more
20 March 2021 | Automation
capacity became one of the triggers driving 5G development. The fi fth generation carries the promise of unmatched speed and reliability, able to fuel the growing number of Internet connections. Yet, with the disagreements among the main market players and a global pandemic, the 5G rollout is bound to experience some slowdown.
Geographical differences In China, although being the frontrunner in the new wireless, 5G is also not living up to the hype: many of the new high-tech towers transmitting 5G bandwidth are only operational for half a day. Furthermore, it is estimated that approximately 10 million stations still need to be installed to reach similar coverage as 4G currently has. Alongside infrastructure, other integrations are being developed to speed up the web as well. For example, the Noia Network – a software solution that runs on top of the public Internet, enabling to route connections via the best available path. However, if the core network remains the same, such integrations alone will have little impact on the overall traffi c speed.
Further developments will revolve
around refi ning the core architecture, most likely with an emphasis on edge computing. This, in turn, would make similar solutions more viable – but not the other way around.
Tech support The protocol IPv6 has also established a sound role in the new Internet era by being a crucial element in supporting the demand for always-on connections. However, in areas where IPv6 is not widely deployed, a transition protocol is needed to ensure back-to-back compatibility between the two protocols. While there is an abundance of IPv6s, the industry was forced to say goodbye to new IPv4s a while ago. However, IP leasing could prove to be the key to the problem at hand, helping to acquire the necessary IP resources to fuel further progress and mitigate the transition impact on the companies. This would provide the means to continue developing infrastructure while maintaining operational affi nity between IPv6-driven systems and older ones, compatible only with IPv4.
The Internet evolution has leap-frogged the expectations of many and continues to paint quite a remarkable technology- driven picture ahead. However, as it is with any innovation, how fast this turns into an every-day reality depends on how quickly the infrastructure experts can resolve the current hiccups that are hindering the progress.
CONTACT:
IPXO
www.ipxo.com
automationmagazine.co.uk
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