Even the greatest optimists from the telecommunications industry did not predict such a growth in mobile data transmission in Poland. Analysts assumed that in 2016 Poles would use the Internet on their smartphones 50% more intensively than in 2015*, whereas the figures say that we sent up to 125% more data**.
In 1992, 100 gigabytes*** were sent daily over the Internet. In 2016, and only in Poland and only in mobile networks, users uploaded and downloaded 1.3 billion gigabytes of data, and all signs indicate that the trend will continue. We will be sending ever more data and we will want to do it much faster. This is how the tech world is gearing up for the upcoming transfer demand boom.
Iceberg around the corner
Mobile network traffic is one of the best documented. Operators are eager to boast about the number of transferred gigabytes. They also develop attractive summariesin this regard. Please remember, however, that the growing Internet of Things and machine-machine communication will soon require better and faster connections than human-human communication does. We might not even realize how fast this branch of the economy is developing and how quickly the requirements for the current links are increasing.
Optic network to the rescue
From the perspective of a network operator, data origin is not very significant. Whether a fibre-optic cable transfers packets from smartphones or froma local network is not important. What is important is the speed at which a customer is provided data and the bitrate of the connection – as this impacts the amount of data that can be sent at any one time.
According to Michał Szczęsny, director of the Network Planning and Architecture Office at EXATEL SA, the end users mostly care about rapid access to Polish and global resources, guaranteed bandwidth and – naturally – resistance to interruptions and attacks.
We have the technologies and infrastructure that enable offering all Internet providers with the best network parameters. Our optical network based on DWDM technology already offers 100 and 400 Gbps connections, with 1 Tbps soon to follow. A 1Tbps link will be crucial, for example, in building a 5G network backbone. Smartphones will eventually become AIphones (AI-artificial intelligence). Hence, we are ready for tomorrow. All kinds of tomorrow – says Szczęsny.
DWDM is a dense wavelength multiplexing method. It enables significantly more effective use of a single fibre optic cable. Owing to precise devices, it is possible to connect a series of “channels” within a single optical fibre – each of these at a different light frequency (colour). This allows us to multiply the link capacity, while maintaining the highest transmission parameters.
* https://www.ericsson.com/mobility-report
** Rzeczpospolita 23/1/2017 “Gigabajty zmieniają się w złotówki” [Gigabytes turn into zlotys]
