5G? IoT? Fiber Deep? 600G? We Are ready for networking at 2019!
For years we have all been talking about the emergence of 5G services, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the new high-capacity, low-latency network architectures that will be needed to support the resulting onslaught of bandwidth. Higher-speed data rates are critical to electronic evolution and revolution.
Here are some of my collection of newest trends and predictions for year 2018. have picked and mixed here quotations from many articles (linked to source) with some of my own additions to make this posting.
5G: The most newsworthy stories in wireless today are all about 5G. In 2019, we enter a cautious, early-adoption phase of this next generation of wireless technology. 2019 will be the year when we see the first commercial networks turning on and first handsets arriving in the market. Only a small number of users will get a first taste of 5G in specific geographic locations, using specific applications, none of which are ubiquitous or cost-optimized. For more details read my 5G trends for 2019 posting.
Deep fiber: Deep deployment of fiber optics into national network infrastructure might not be as glamorous as the eagerly anticipated launch of fifth-generation mobile networks (5G); however, it is just as important—maybe even more important. Wired broadband access supports as much as 90 percent of all internet traffic even though the majority of traffic ultimately terminates on a wireless device. Wireline and wireless networks are driving new architectures to support the move from 4G LTE to 5G infrastructure. In fact, 5G relies heavily on fiber infrastructure. Service providers in the access market are talking about the evolution of their plants to a Fiber Deep (FD) Architecture. FD architectures move the optical node (the optical-to-electrical conversion point) deeper into the network and closer to the subscriber. This means shorter copper, faster speed, more capacity and reduction in maintenance cost for both cable TV network and telephone line based access networks.
Ethernet: Faster Ethernet speeds are taken to use. These transitions are driven by the increasing global IP traffic. Hyper-scalers and service providers are moving from 100GbE to 400GbE Ethernet rates and beyond. In this speed development 56Gb/s And 112Gb/s SerDes Matter.
TSN: Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a set of standards under development by the Time-Sensitive Networking task group of the IEEE 802.1 working group. TSN standards documents that are specified by IEEE 802.1 can be grouped into three basic key component categories that are time synchronization; scheduling and traffic shaping; selection of communication paths, path reservations and fault-tolerance. Industrial Ethernet networks embrace time-sensitive networking (TSN) technology to integrate operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT).
SDN: Software-defined networking (SDN) technology is an approach to cloud computing that facilitates network management and enables programmatically efficient network configuration in order to improve network performance and monitoring. SD-WAN applies similar technology to a wide area network (WAN). SD-WAN allows companies to build higher-performance WANs using lower-cost and commercially available Internet access, enabling businesses to partially or wholly replace more expensive private WAN connection technologies such as MPLS.
IPv6: IPv4 and IPv6 are the two Protocols Run the Internet in 2019. The long-forecasted day the internet runs out of addresses has arrived and it marks a paradigm shift in the internet’s evolution. Though IPv6 has been available globally since 2012, it has seen a slow, if increasing, adoption rate. The migration to IPv6 is inevitable but will take time during that both systems are in use. In many networks a notable amount of traffic is already IPv6.
New Internet protocols: Internet security gets a boost with TLS 1.3. Also HTTP is in process of switching to a protocol layered on top of UDP. Today’s HTTP (versions 1.0, 1.1, and 2) are all layered on top of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) that is not very optimal in today’s applications as SSL over TCP requires subsequent round trips to establish the encrypted connection.
IoT: The IoT world is here, and the level and rate of convergence is increasing in volume and velocity. We will see the evolution of converged networks for IoT applications in mind. Network convergence (version 2.0) is here with changes and improvements made since the first converged network (Convergence 1.0). TIA TR-42 (Telecommunications Cabling Systems ANSI/TIA-568 family), BICSI (TDMM and others) and proprietary or third documents must adapt and adjust.
PoE: The IEEE 802.3bt standard, approved by the IEEE Standards Association Board on September 27, 2018, included some significant enhancements especially for LED lighting systems. This specification allows for up to 90W of delivered power for cable lengths of up to 100m through the use of all four pairs of wires.
Trade wars: It seem that there is a high tech “trade war” between USA and China. It affects specifically networking business. Big Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE are have received sanctions and their products are not wanted by many countries citing their business practices and potential security nightmares. For example Japan to halt buying Huawei, ZTE equipment and Huawei has been under fire in UK, just to mention examples. It seems that the business that is lost by Huawei and ZTE could benefit Ericsson and Nokia in the 5G base station markets for short term.
Security: The internet is going to hell and its creators want your help fixing it. All agree on one thing however: Right now there is a serious battle for heart and minds, the future of the internet and global society itself. There seems to be need for a conference to address the fact that people increasingly see tech as a threat and no longer as a pure force for good. Government set to revise internal rules on procurement to protect national cybersecurity. Your DNS might be broken, and you don’t even know it. Some DNS old hacks gets thrown out of use by February 1st, 2019.
WiFi: WiFi technology gets new marketing naming. The numerical sequence includes: Wi-Fi 6 to identify devices that support 802.11ax technology, Wi-Fi 5 to identify devices that support 802.11ac technology, Wi-Fi 4 to identify devices that support 802.11n technology.
Faster mobile: Mobile networks are getting faster in many countries. Mobile networks are killing Wi-Fi for speed around the world. Average data speeds on mobile networks now outpace customer’s Wi-Fi connection, on average, in 33 countries. That’s the The State of Wifi vs Mobile Network Experience as 5G Arrives.
Energy efficiency: We need to develop more energy efficient networking technologies. Today, information and communication technologies globally consume 8% of electricity and doubles every year.
1,186 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Prysmian debuts 180µm bend-insensitive singlemode fiber
https://www.cablinginstall.com/cable/article/14073787/prysmian-debuts-180m-bendinsensitive-singlemode-fiber?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS191219013&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
The narrower fiber will enable higher-count cables, Prysmian points out.
Operators have begun to embrace the recent generation of high-fiber-count cables based on 200-µm fibers, including Prysmian’s BendBrightXS 200µm. Such fibers offered a significant reduction in diameter versus conventional 250-µm fibers; the 180-µm width offers nearly a 50% smaller size than those conventional fibers.
Prysmian adds that BBXS-180µm is fully compliant with G.652 and G.657.A2 global standards and can be spliced with legacy standard single-mode fibers.
The new BendBrightXS bend-insensitive fiber’s diameter of 180 µm is slightly narrower than the wave of 200-µm fibers that have recently surged into the market.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cabling Designs You Can Trust to Support Speeds of 32G to 400G
https://www.cablinginstall.com/white-papers/whitepaper/14038917/cablexpress-cabling-designs-you-can-trust-to-support-speeds-of-32g-to-400g?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS191219013&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.eetimes.com/is-the-telecom-infrastructure-market-ready-for-openness/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Osta SD-WAN siltä, joka kuuntelee asiakkaan tarpeita
11.12.2019 07:00|päivitetty11.12.2019 11:39
https://www.tivi.fi/kumppanisisaltoa/dna/tv/f6c06081-cfbb-4d8b-87ea-04598acab9bd
SD-WAN-verkkoratkaisut ovat olleet viimeiset vuodet tiiviin keskustelun kohteena. Eri laitevalmistajat lähestyvät markkinaa kukin omalta vahvuusalueeltaan. Mitä SD-WAN lopulta edes on? Vastauksia tuntuu olevan yhtä monta kuin vastaajia.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/01/02/no-we-still-cant-use-quantum-entanglement-to-communicate-faster-than-light/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/wi-fi-6-tested-how-much-faster-is-it/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Thought 5G marketing was bad? Cable industry sticks with ridiculous 10G branding as another year rolls around
What started as a joke slowly blends into potential fiber reality
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/07/cable_industry_10g_branding/
CES It started out as a joke, a way to repeat the hype-success of “5G” mobile technology for the cable industry. And yet “10G” – standing for 10 gigabit-a-second broadband fiber speeds – may be here to stay.
“Zyxel to Showcase 5G/LTE and 10G Broadband,” begins a press release for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas, USA, this week, that goes on to discuss “10G fiber solutions” a “powerful 10G XGS-PON Wi-Fi6 whole-home EasyMesh gateway” and various other 10G prefixes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top 10 guidelines for fiber-optic cabling installations
https://www.cablinginstall.com/cable/article/14074529/top-10-guidelines-for-fiberoptic-cabling-installations?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200110048&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
On its website, FOSCO Connect (fiberoptics4sale.com) recently published its informative ’101 Guidelines for Fiber Optic Cable Installation.’ The article’s top ten guidelines are shared here.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Considerations When Applying TIA1005-A to the Network Infrastructure in Various Harsh Environments
https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1278758&tp_key=5ec66d73a4&sti=ws&utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200110048&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R
A reliable network design must consider and accommodate many different environments, while maintaining structured flow of data and allowing for future expansion. Designing and deploying according to the TIA-1005-A specification is critical to industrial, harsh and outdoor spaces.
Compliant connectivity and cabling can withstand the test of time and outlast their intended useful life cycle of 30+ years.
ANSI/TIA-1005-A Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Industrial Premises
https://blog.siemon.com/standards/ansitia-1005-a-telecommunications-infrastructure-standard-for-industrial-premises
Tomi Engdahl says:
Never underestimate the bandwidth of postal or courier service
https://blog.jgc.org/2010/07/bandwidth-of-fully-laden-747.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.cloudflare.com/the-bandwidth-of-a-boeing-747-and-its-impact/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bernie Sanders has a $150 billion plan to turn the internet into a public utility with low prices and fast speeds — here’s how his plan works
https://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-internet-as-utility-plan-explainer-2019-12
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jeremy Horwitz / VentureBeat:
FCC unlocks 3.5GHz band of spectrum used by Citizens Broadband Radio Service, enhancing connectivity via “OnGo” services in the latest iOS and Android phones — Following six years of private and public collaboration to open up some of the United States’ most valuable wireless spectrum …
FCC unlocks 3.5GHz CBRS band, enables OnGo in Apple and Android phones
https://venturebeat.com/2020/01/27/fcc-unlocks-3-5ghz-cbrs-band-enables-ongo-in-apple-and-android-phones/
Following six years of private and public collaboration to open up some of the United States’ most valuable wireless spectrum, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today authorized full commercialization of OnGo services using the 3.5GHz CBRS band, a development that will enable the latest iPhones and Android phones to achieve faster data speeds in many parts of the country. The move will initially benefit 4G communications, but is expected to enhance 5G later this year.
Spectrum in the 3.5GHz band has been selected across the world as ideal for next-generation cellular services, thanks to its combination of reasonably long-distance range and solid chunks of available bandwidth. Within the “low,” “mid,” and “high band” ranges of radio frequencies, 3.5GHz is mid-band spectrum and is already being used for 5G in China, Europe, and South Korea, while the U.S. has focused until now on low and high band 5G frequencies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireshark – Find out the data rate of an 802.11ax Data Frame
https://www.semfionetworks.com/blog/80211ax-packet-capture-find-out-the-data-rate-of-an-80211ax-data-frame
Tomi Engdahl says:
Configure VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP)
https://wiznet.pro/how-to/configure-vlan-trunking-protocol-vtp/
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T Lied About Everything It Promised to Do If It Got a Tax Cut
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjdvex/atandt-lied-about-everything-it-promised-to-do-if-it-got-a-tax-cut?fbclid=IwAR3PlLT3mLW0oq261Zpam5eEbouoPsG-oFuibxS3S6t5OcYZCC9O6dOcRvQ
AT&T said a net neutrality repeal and tax cut would result in new jobs and more broadband investment. It’s cut tens of thousands of jobs and is spending less than ever.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ARIN ran out of ipv4 addresses… no address for you!
IPv4 Waitlist Update – Next Distribution 24 March 2020
https://www.arin.net/announcements/20200131/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/02/06/nokian-liikevaihto-jai-vuoden-2018-tasolle/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pay phones still important in 2020 — despite their sorry state in Winnipeg’s core
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pay-phones-winnipeg-1.5451875?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
“Pay phones are important. If you don’t have a cellphone, you know, where can you go?” said Ballantyne.
Kent and Ballantyne believe pay phones should be more accessible and treated as a public service. So do advocates who work with people in poverty and experiencing homelessness, but that seems unlikely to happen based on recent trends.
Numbers from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission show pay phones are disappearing: there were nearly 94,000 across the country in 2012, compared to just over 36,000 in 2018.
Tomi Engdahl says:
T-Mobile And Sprint’s $26 Billion Merger Gains Federal Approval
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2020/02/11/26-billion-t-mobile-and-sprint-merger-gains-federal-approval/?utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie/#676f7264696
Topline: A federal judge approved on Tuesday the $26 billion merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, despite state attorneys general saying that the deal would hurt consumers by eliminating competition.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Modulators for Terahertz Communication: The Current State of the Art
https://spj.sciencemag.org/research/2019/6482975/
With the increase of communication frequency, terahertz (THz) communication technology has been an important research field; particularly the terahertz modulator is becoming one of the core devices in THz communication system.
In particular, THz wave is responsible for communications to achieve 10 Gbps wireless transmission speeds that are 100 to 1000 times faster than the current ultrawideband (UWB) technologies. Naturally, THz band as unoccupied spectrum resources is new choice for communication. THz communication has the merits which combined that of microwave communication and optical communication [20–22]. The frequency of THz wave is 1~4 orders higher than microwave communication, which exhibits a larger communication capacity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook thinks it has a better way to deploy fiber-optic cable
https://www.cablinginstall.com/cable/article/14167511/facebook-thinks-it-has-a-better-way-of-deploying-fiberoptic-cable?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200221047&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Facebook researchers have reportedly developed a way to reduce the cost of deploying fiber-optic cable – and have agreed to license it to a new company.
In a recent blog post, an employee at Facebook revealed that company researchers have developed a way to reduce the cost of deploying fiber-optic cable – and agreed to license it to a new company.
Reducing the cost of fiber deployments
https://connectivity.fb.com/reducing-the-cost-of-fiber-deployments/
Today, approximately half of the world’s population is not connected to the internet. With half the global population earning less than $5.50 a day and average data usage per person growing at 20 to 30% annually, there’s an unprecedented need for pervasive, high-capacity, low-cost networks. With a bandwidth thousands of times greater than any other communication medium, optical fiber is uniquely suited to meet this need. This outsized bandwidth allows the capacity of a fiber link to be increased over and over through a simple upgrade to the electronics on either end of the link. With each capacity upgrade, the cost per bit decreases as the primary cost drivers (fiber construction and passive maintenance) stay constant independent of the number of bits flowing.
Despite these benefits, the International Telecommunication Union estimates that approximately 70 percent of the world’s population lives more than 10 kilometers from fiber infrastructure. The primary reason for this is the high cost of deploying fiber networks. A fiber optic strand costs pennies per meter, so the high cost to deploy fiber is almost entirely from installing the fiber cables.
To deploy extensive fiber networks using these technology components, Facebook is collaborating with a newly formed company called NetEquity Networks. NetEquity Networks is developing a business model and governance structure designed to facilitate:
Open access to the fiber
Fair and equitable pricing
Decreasing prices for capacity as traffic grows
Equal construction of fiber in both rural and lower-income communities and affluent ones
Shared benefits of the fiber network with the electric company
Facebook intends to provide NetEquity Networks with a non-exclusive royalty free license to build fiber networks using this technology solution. Facebook does not have a financial stake in NetEquity Networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/on-off-keying-gets-the-communications-job-done/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Cloud Networking is a must for Flexibility, Scalability, and Visibility
https://pentestmag.com/why-cloud-networking-is-a-must-for-flexibility-scalability-and-visibility/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Asterisk SS7
Background information
https://www.voip-info.org/asterisk-ss7/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Combining protection network redundancy protocols
https://blog.se.com/electricity-companies/2015/07/21/combining-protection-network-redundancy-protocols/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/wireless/the-long-goodbye-of-wifi-has-begun
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/optoelectronics/holding-light-temporarily-in-place
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rajeev Suri to step down as Nokia CEO; Pekka Lundmark to take over
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/01/rajeev-suri-to-step-down-as-nokia-ceo-pekka-lundmark-to-take-over/?tpcc=ECFB2020
Rajeev Suri, the chief executive of Nokia, is stepping down from his leadership role after overseeing the Finnish networking giant for more than half a decade. Pekka Lundmark, the outgoing President and CEO of energy firm Fortum, has been elected as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia, the Finnish company announced on Monday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This rag-tag group of DIYers has an answer for rural Pa.’s internet problem
https://whyy.org/articles/this-rag-tag-group-of-diyers-has-an-answer-for-rural-pa-s-internet-problem/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Elon Musk: Starlink latency will be good enough for competitive gaming
Musk: Starlink great in rural areas but won’t have enough bandwidth in big cities.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/03/musk-says-starlink-isnt-for-big-cities-wont-be-huge-threat-to-telcos/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/protecting-antennas/
Tomi Engdahl says:
GPON Technology Fundamentals | Concepts of PON | GPON Architecture and Principles | GPON vs EPON.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi0SNlMzMjQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel has taken the first step toward an all-optical input-output scheme that offers higher processing power without the threat of overheating.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/networks/new-photonics-engine-promises-lowloss-energyefficient-data-capacity-for-hyperscale-data-centers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Wi-Fi Stinks—and How to Fix It
https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/wireless/why-wifi-stinksand-how-to-fix-it
Ask consumers in the developed world about their household Wi-Fi connection and they’ll likely tell you that lately it seems to be getting worse, not better. Some might even say, “It stinks!” Even the residents of the White House have Wi-Fi problems.
The White House, along with homes inhabited by more than 80 percent of the United States and 50 percent of the worldwide population, are in urban areas where Wi-Fi connections are steadily getting worse. The reason would appear to be obvious: There are many more people—and things—using Wi-Fi than a decade ago, and the numbers continue to grow. Today, 6.4 billion connected devices are in use around the globe. By 2020, that will mushroom to 20.8 billion—that’s 2.8 mobile devices for every person on Earth. So certainly the wireless highways through which Wi-Fi traffic moves have gotten and will continue to get more crowded.
In the United States, in the 2.4-GHz band, the FCC has authorized roughly 80 megahertz for Wi-Fi use. The channels operating there under the IEEE 802.11 standard are 20 or 22 MHz wide, so you can fit in only three nonoverlapping channels: 1, 6, and 11. The situation is only slightly different in Europe, where 13 channels allow for still just three nonoverlapping channels at a time, and in Japan, where 14 channels allow for four nonoverlapping channels.
Signals in the 5-GHz band have a shorter range in the home, mostly because of the walls and furniture, but that band, which extends from 5.180 to 5.825 GHz, has 24 nonoverlapping 20-MHz-wide channels in North America, with five fewer in Europe and Japan. That’s a huge number of additional lanes on our crowded wireless highway. But roughly half of these channels—more in North America—are allocated for primary use by weather and military radar.
Tomi Engdahl says:
China and Huawei propose reinvention of the internet
https://www.ft.com/content/c78be2cf-a1a1-40b1-8ab7-904d7095e0f2
The telecoms group Huawei, together with state-run companies China Unicom and China Telecom, and the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), jointly proposed a new standard for core network technology, called “New IP”, at the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
“Below the surface, there is a huge battle going on over what the internet will look like,” said a UK delegate to the ITU, who asked not to be named.
“You’ve got these two competing visions: one which is very free and open and . . . government hands-off . . . and one which is much more controlled and regulated by governments.”
Huawei describes the existing internet infrastructure that underpins global networks — known as TCP/IP — as “unstable” and “vastly insufficient” to meet the requirements of the digital world by 2030, including self-driving cars, the ubiquitous internet of things and “holo-sense teleportation”.
Instead, the Chinese proposals suggest the ITU take a “long-term view” and “shoulder the responsibility of a top-down design for the future network”.
Tomi Engdahl says:
About that Chinese “reinvention” of the Internet…
https://www.internetgovernance.org/2020/03/30/about-that-chinese-reinvention-of-the-internet/
Here’s the latest bit of nonsense from the US – China digital Cold War front. A Financial Times article is getting a lot of attention because it claims that we are in imminent danger of the Chinese using the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to impose an entirely “new Internet” standard upon the world. We are told that the Chinese are about to create
“an alternative form of the internet, to replace the technological architecture that has underpinned the web for half a century.”
These claims are distorted and inaccurate. But it gets worse. The article goes to great lengths to bind Chinese-promoted technical standards to an export of Chinese authoritarianism.
Let’s look at reality.
Apparently, the FT reporters (and their sources) don’t know the difference between a new standards document and a research group doing long term projections of where communications technology will lead us in the future. They don’t know the difference between a global standards adoption and a vendor’s boastful positioning. More significantly, the FT reporters (and their sources) don’t understand that any scenario in which new data standards could actually replace TCP/IP versions 4 and 6 will take decades to play out. A new standard would have to be carefully defined, agreed on, implemented and adopted by a critical mass of the world’s networks and systems if it were to become dominant.
As we have pointed out in other research, the global compatibility created by universal use of TCP/IP and related IETF standards such as DNS and a common global root are practically impossible to abandon. A new IETF standard (IP version 6) created 20 years ago has still not replaced the ancient IP version 4, which was standardized in 1981.
Tomi Engdahl says:
OSI: The Internet That Wasn’t
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/cyberspace/osi-the-internet-that-wasnt
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19 Makes It Clear That Broadband Access Is a Human Right
https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/internet/covid19-makes-clear-broadband-access-is-human-right
Like clean water and electricity, broadband access has become a modern-day necessity. The spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing closure of schools and workplaces and even the need for remote diagnostics make this seem like a new imperative, but the idea is over a decade old. Broadband is a fundamental human right, essential in times like now, but just as essential when the world isn’t in chaos.
A decade ago, Finland declared broadband a legal right. In 2011, the United Nations issued a report [PDF] with a similar conclusion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/02/20/how-does-starlink-work-anyway/
Tomi Engdahl says:
ScatterMIMO Smart Surface Runs for a Year on a Button Cell, Doubles Wi-Fi Speeds
https://www.hackster.io/news/scattermimo-smart-surface-runs-for-a-year-on-a-button-cell-doubles-wi-fi-speeds-8ea4f374cc59
Costing as little as $5 per unit to mass produce, the ScatterMIMO tiles boost Wi-Fi range by 50% and double data throughput.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a “smart surface” of compact antennas which, they claim, can boost both the range and the throughput of a Wi-Fi connection considerably — pushing data through an otherwise-unmodified client device twice as quickly.
“You can stick this on your wall like a painting to improve Wi-Fi connectivity in your home or office,”
The prototype implementation, dubbed ScatterMIMO, takes 48 compact antennas and arranges them in a 100x300mm grid. The antennas, which can be powered for a year on a single coin-cell battery, aren’t directly connected to either the access point or the client device; instead, they reflect and steer the signal to boost its strength and quality.
pushing data through an otherwise-unmodified client device twice as quickly.
“You can stick this on your wall like a painting to improve Wi-Fi connectivity in your home or office,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers Create a Perovskite Diode That Can Transmit or Receive Optical Signals on Demand
https://www.hackster.io/news/researchers-create-a-perovskite-diode-that-can-transmit-or-receive-optical-signals-on-demand-8eb41a4c5e23
Switching between LED and photodetector modes quickly enough for real-time use, the new diode offers potential for communications.
Researchers from Linköping University, Shenzhen University, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Northwestern Polytechnical University have created a device which can act as both a transmitter and a receiver for optical signals — a major breakthrough in the path to optoelectronic miniaturization.
“In order to demonstrate the potential of our diode with double function,” researcher Chunxiong Bao explains, “we have built a monolithic sensor that detects heart beats in real time, and an optical, bidirectional communication system.”
Traditionally, an optical communication system would require two components at each end: One transmitter to create the signal, and one receiver to read the return signal. The diode created for the Linköping-led project, though, can do both on demand — switching between roles whenever it’s required, and quickly enough for real-time communications.
The diode is based on earlier work Bao and colleagues carried out on perovskite-based photodetectors
Bidirectional optical signal transmission between two identical devices using perovskite diodes
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-020-0382-3
The device can be switched between modes by changing the bias direction, and it exhibits light emission with an external quantum efficiency of over 21% and a light detection limit on a subpicowatt scale. The operation speed for both functions can reach tens of megahertz. Benefiting from the small Stokes shift of perovskites, our diodes exhibit a high specific detectivity (more than 2 × 1012 Jones) at its peak emission (~804 nm), which allows an optical signal exchange between two identical diodes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Want to test your internet (ISP) speed? Type “speed test” in
Google. No more stupid apps to install and works on mobile too. Another option is http://fast.com from Netflix.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ethernet standards group leaves its name in the dust as it details new 800Gbps spec
Farewell, 25 Gigabit Ethernet Consortium. Arise, Ethernet Technology Consortium
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/07/ethernet_technology_consortium_rebrands_and_reveals_800gbps_spec/
The 25 Gigabit Ethernet Consortium has decided to ditch its name as it heads off in search of serious speed.
The Consortium on Monday announced the change and explained that it was founded to develop 25, 50 and 100Gbps Ethernet, but as it has knocked those off and now has an 800Gpbs spec to share the name doesn’t fit well any more.
“Ethernet is evolving very quickly and as a group, we felt that having 25G in the name was too constraining for the scope of the consortium,
The group’s membership and mission remain the same. Arista, Broadcom, Cisco, Dell, Google, Mellanox and Microsoft remain as “promoters”, with another 40-odd companies also signed up and they’re still all pursuing Ethernet standards.
To mark the new name, the group has drawn attention to the early March 1.0 800G specification [PDF] that details its next step in Ethernet’s evolution. And here it is!
25 Gigabit Ethernet Consortium Rebrands to Ethernet Technology Consortium; Announces 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) Specification
https://ethernettechnologyconsortium.org/press-room/press-releases/25-gigabit-ethernet-consortium-rebrands-to-ethernet-technology-consortium-announces-800-gigabit-ethernet-gbe-specification-152/
https://ethernettechnologyconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/800G-Specification_r1.0.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
10 crucial skill sets for smart buildings and IoT
https://www.cablinginstall.com/design-install/article/14173695/10-crucial-skill-sets-for-smart-buildings-and-iot?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200410051&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
The latest installment of Osram’s ‘Digital Systems Blog’ describes ten new skill sets required to support the burgeoning transition to smart buildings and IoT.
Tomi Engdahl says:
802.1X Deployment Guide: Global Configuration
https://www.ciscozine.com/dot1x-global-configuration-deployment-guide/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ry Crist / CNET:
FCC adopts a proposal that opens the 6GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi use, freeing up more than 1,200MHz of additional bandwidth for next-gen Wi-Fi 6E devices — The unanimous decision opens 1,200MHz of new bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E devices that are expected to begin arriving this year.
The FCC voted: 6GHz Wi-Fi, here we come
https://www.cnet.com/news/the-fcc-voted-6-ghz-wi-fi-6e-here-we-come/
The unanimous decision opens 1,200MHz of new bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E devices that are expected to begin arriving this year.
“To accommodate that increase in Wi-Fi demand, the FCC is aiming to increase the supply of Wi-Fi spectrum with our boldest initiative yet: making the entire 6GHz band available for unlicensed use,” reads the FCC’s announcement of the plan to vote. “By doing this, we would effectively increase the amount of spectrum available for Wi-Fi almost by a factor of five.”
The FCC went on to call the move a benefit to consumers, and one that will “further our leadership in next-generation wireless technologies, including 5G.” An industry-funded study by Columbia professor Raul Katz backs that claim up, and suggests that the move could generate more than $180 billion in US revenue by 2025.
With more than twice as much bandwidth as the 5GHz band used by Wi-Fi devices today, the 6GHz band can accommodate up to seven 160MHz channels at once. Latency stands to be a lot lower on the 6GHz band too, because there aren’t any existing, older-gen Wi-Fi devices operating in that spectrum to slow things down. That gives the 6GHz band the potential to serve as an exclusive, multilane expressway for Wi-Fi devices equipped to take advantage, all of them using Wi-Fi 6, the newest, fastest and most efficient version of Wi-Fi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/the-fcc-voted-6-ghz-wi-fi-6e-here-we-come/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A paper clip, a spool of phone wire and a recalcitrant RS-232 line: Going MacGyver in the wonderful world of hotel IT
Part 1: No one expects the construction crew
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/17/on_call/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT, 5G
The U.S. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) voted 5-0 to open up 1,200 megahertz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band to consumer devices. The 6 GHz band (5.925–7.125 GHz), reserved for microwave services used by utilities to monitor power grids, will be available for unlicensed use but under certain rules. Unlicensed users will have access to the full 1200 MHz using indoor low-power operations, which are less likely to interfere with incumbent users. Standard-power devices can use 850 megahertz in the 6 GHz band. Some high-data rate communication will can be used The band will be available in later this year, which will usher in WiFi 6, the FCC says in its press release.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-opens-6-ghz-band-wi-fi-and-other-unlicensed-uses