Cracking the Code of IoT: Infrastructure Evolution
Last month, I launched "the Cracking the Code of IoT" series. In the first article, the primary focus was the growing network demand and its implications. In this article, my goal is to discuss the network evolution as a response to the growing demand.
Today's networks are very diverse in nature. We have networks made of copper, coax, fiber, cellular, and other wireless technologies. Most of these networks evolved significantly in the last few decades. In the table below you will see the increase in downlink capacity. Did you notice the exponential scale similar to data growth from the previous article?
In addition to the evolution of the networks, there are additional trends resulted by changing customer habits as listed below.
These trends have a significant impact on how to shape the infrastructure of the future. Some examples are listed below:
- Improving coverage in rural, difficult to reach areas (e.g Connect America Fund)
- Densifying cellular networks (i.e Small Cells)
- Improving indoor coverage (e.g. Wi-Fi, DRAN, Ericsson RDS, Femtocells...etc.)
- Adjusting network architecture to deal with the increased high bandwidth consumption (e.g. Hybrid Networks, Edge Computing, Network Slicing...etc.)
There is another key dimension for network infrastructure which is coverage. Graphic below shows the coverage vs. capacity growth (approximate) of the network infrastructure in the US. Please note the numbers are approximate but the scale is again exponential. There is also a third dimension in the graph which is the bubble size that represents approximate historical revenue for the operators
These are all the trends and facts known by the industry veterans but what do they really mean for the IoT Ecosystem?
Based on the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, Wide Area IoT connectivity is expected to be the fastest growing type of connections, of which 70% will be cellular by 2022. There are several reasons for that and some of them are below:
- Cellular networks and connections may be easier to install
- Cellular networks may provide higher security and reliability
- Cellular networks may be easier to upgrade (i.e future proof)
However, there are challenges as well.
- Battery life
- Spectrum availability
- Mobility and interoperability
- Massive volumes of devices
Considering advantages and challenges I still believe that the cellular network will play a key role in the development of the full IoT ecosystem.
In my next article, I will try to discuss the potential ways to work around these challenges and how to make the IoT a reality. Please stay tuned.
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