The Fourth Epoch – Superfast Broadband and 4G

Fellows and Associates’ independent correspondent Oliver Cox explores the bold new world of superfast broadband.

I remember when my house first got broadband. At that
time I lived in ‘deep rural’ Wales, the speeds which BT gave us didn’t actually
count as ‘broad-band’, but it was still an epoch-making change. Now the next
epoch approaches, ready to blow the last out of the water: the double barrels
of superfast broadband and 4G mobile connectivity.

~1 Gbit/s~

So what could we possibly do with these speeds, at orders
of magnitude higher than that which we used to have? People have dedicated a
large portion of their time to discussing it, although I know that part of the
answer will be watching more videos and posting more frequent status updates,
faster.

Kansas City has been anointed for the provision of this
technology by Google, who will offer a combined broadband and cable television
service, with bandwidths of 1 Gbit/s – so fast that you’re pinned to the seat
by the Gs. In response the Kansas citizens have decided to consider in a public
forum what to do with such velocities.

A group which was set up to consider this question
released a report on the 10th November, postulating various ‘Concepts’, through
which they would use this connectivity: Create a system of virtualisation,
where great numbers of people could gather for near instantaneously
communicated online seminars? Make Kansas a better place for people to work via
telecommunication or in which to set up a new business? Get access to virtual healthcare?

These stupendous internet connections which will at some
point be offered will mean a lot for telecommuters. For this group of people
the internet has meant that being at home is almost as effective as being in
the office, and without all the CO2 from the commute.

So lean back Kansas, and see what Google has to offer; it
won’t be free, it will involve fibre optics and it should be with you by 2012.

~4G~

The new 4G networks are to 3G what superfast broadband is
to broadband. Many major US cities and areas of other countries have already
been provided with it, a snappier mobile internet service.

4G, when people finally have real access, will mean that
users will be able to get speeds while on the train or in the park exceeding
what many people can get at home. This will make a massive contribution to the
ability of an employee’s work to follow them around. It will mean that people
will be able to work effectively in a far greater number of situations and –
raising our glasses to the much propagated tablets and smartphones which are
more personal than many PCs – that work will never leave us alone.

Pessimisms held back for a moment these opportunities do
offer a certain freedom, in that restricting employees’ work period to ‘9â€”5’
and their work centre to ‘the office’ is not necessarily the best way to maximise their productivity.
These new technologies are like the flexitime of imagination – ideas will
materialise when they want to, and if you have with you a powerful piece of
technology and a fast internet connection, why not make use?

At the same time, 4G connections could expand and improve
‘mobile learning’, which is of course, using mobile devices to learn while in
motion. As these mobile and broadband connections improve, it seems that the activities
which we do remotely become closer to the quality which we can achieve locally.
The cloud computing possibilities which are promised by both services are
massive, allowing remote collaboration and access at greater speeds and to a
greater extent than preâ€”1Gbit/s.

So, when these services are provided I expect to see
nothing less significant than an explosion in business and a redefinition of
work. The extent to which this will be true, however, depends on how patchy and
how late a roll-out we witness.

Let us know what you think, email: [email protected]
with your views.