Wireless broadband technologies have traditionally lagged behind WiFi standards for a number of reasons, but the distances involved are a key factor. This trend does not seem in danger of ever changing, which makes looking at next-generation WiFi standards a good guide to see where wireless broadband services are likely to go. The good news is that the next generation WiFi speeds are set to be explosively fast, perhaps even faster than wired networking standards. There is a caveat to that last statement, but the fact is that the performance of the next-generation wireless networking technology bodes very well for all wireless data transmissions of all kinds.
How Fast Will Wireless Get?
The first hint as to the speed of the next-generation wireless networking technology can be found in its name: WiGig. While such a name might imply speeds of 1000 Mbps, the truth is actually quite different…in a good way. WiGig appears to be on schedule to hit a stunning 7 Gbps (7000 Mbps) of performance. There is little data available on the range off the initial WiGig standard, but WiFi ranges have been steadily increasing with each generation, which is a good sign. In fact, many industry analysts and insiders would note that it seems that WiFi and wireless broadband technologies may be on a collision course that will see them becoming more similar to each other with each successive generation.
On the subject of generations, it is worth noting that WiGig is also the name of an alliance of broadband/radio technology companies. This will hopefully prevent the recurrence of the exceptionally long gestation cycle that 802.1N suffered. This means that 7 Gbps will be the start of a new era of networking, one in which wires may not play such a key role. In fact, the only role that wires might have in the near future would be to connect businesses and/or residences to their broadband providers. Of course, security conscious consumers will also probably favor wired technologies.
What Can 7 Gbps Do For Consumers?
One of the biggest uses for 7 Gbps of WiGig-fueled performance would be to connect virtually everything in a house or business via a unified system. Many HDTV makers are already on board with the WiGig alliance, and so are a stunning number of home electronics makers. Just imagine a world where all electronics can share massive volumes of data in a very BlueTooth-like manner or operate as a standard network connected device; Digital cameras and phones could share data, computers and STBs could stream video back and forth regardless of source and destination, and so on. The options are truly limitless, but would certainly seem to favor the media-centric.
A future without so many complicated wires is highly desirable, and that might be possible with 7 Gbps of wireless performance available. With currently wired performance peaking at 1 Gbps without venturing into enterprise class products, it would seem that there would be plenty of companies interested in joining the wireless-future. Speed, lack of wires, and the possibility to be backwards compatible with even low-power devices might be too compelling to pass up.
How Robust Will the Signal Be?
Of course, performance is only good when it actually works. As anyone who uses existing WiFi technologies knows, stability is a problem in many cases. It is possible to troubleshoot WiFi problems, but not all wireless networking problems can be addressed. The good news is that WiGig uses advanced signal shaping technologies that should enhance stability and detect interference while simultaneously adapting to it. Some of these same signal adapting/shaping technologies are used by 3G standards, which further strengthens the argument that robust WiFi technologies are a good thing for wireless broadband enthusiasts.
Wireless Broadband 5G…Fast, Faster, or Fastest?
It might seem premature to start making predictions about post-4G wireless broadband services, but it would almost seem to be a safe bet at this point that the next decade will see at least half-gigabit wireless performance on the mobile broadband front. If technology continues advancing at this pace, it may be worth revisiting the fiber vs. wireless broadband arguments again in much greater detail. Of course, broadband usage caps will need to be removed before this can happen.
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