“Connectivity and ubiquitous coverage are the backbone of an inclusive new digital world and a prerequisite for a successful further innovation of services online.”
For many end-users, ubiquitous and increasingly robust connectivity has simply become a part of the environment most of the time, and rather the state of being offline has become an exception, as echoed by The Internet Society 2017 report- Paths to our Digital Future. It would not have been possible without the widespread deployment of wireless access networks. Mobile access is already the primary way people connect to the Internet in many parts of the world. Devices and people hop from Wi-Fi to cellular networks, and there are use-cases that put a premium on this continuous ubiquitous connectivity. Emerging technologies such as 5G, and new use-cases such as IoT promises to accelerate this trend.
The future of ubiquitous connectivity is not without challenges. Networks have to sustain increasing connectivity and bandwidth demand as result of mushrooming IoT, HD and 4K videos, and on top of that have to encourage yet to be imagined new use-cases. The proliferation of connected systems and wireless devices, will make the network edge more complex, and as a result may lead to specialized and proprietary standards. Therefore, it is also essential to focus on development and deployment of open standards that facilitate interoperability so that people can roam seamlessly across different wireless technologies.
