Since its start in the 1800s, wired network technology has made leaps and bounds in its development. Like wireless network communications, it continues to evolve and test the limits of speed as researchers discover faster ways to transmit data. The question is this: What’s the future of wired internet for consumers and companies?
The History of Wired Network Technology
Advances in broadband communication and networks started more than 100 years ago. Some of the most defining moments in the history of wired network technology, which influenced the advancements it’s making today, include:
- 1876: The invention of the telephone started a revolution towards wired communications.
- 1964: With the introduction of optical fiber, the potential of wired networks skyrocketed.
- 1970: Ethernet technology, which uses a coaxial-based or twisted copper transport system, was developed.
- 1980: During this decade, researchers built the foundation for a digital subscriber line (DSL).
- 2000: Broadband technology became available to consumers. Today, more than 20 million users trust it.
As demonstrated, a focus of wired network technology’s history was developing new ways to deliver data.
The Future of Wired Internet Technology
What direction is wired internet technology now taking? Partnership. With the rise of wireless network technology, many companies in the telecommunications industry are beginning to look at the future of wired internet technology with a collaborative viewpoint. Some of the newest technologies, which combine wired and wireless features, include:
FiWi
With Fiber-Wireless (FiWi) networks, businesses plan to partner wired and wireless technology. This approach not only prevents a divide between the two technologies, but also combines their unique strengths, such as the convenience of wireless networks and the speed of wired ones.
Because of the value of wired technology, it’s anticipated that many companies will have an interest in creating FiWi networks. Additional advances in Ethernet technology, such as increasing the amount of data transmitted, will have a significant role in encouraging the telecommunications industry to develop FiWi networks.
DAS
A Distributed Antenna System (DAS) utilizes radio-over-fiber (RoF) links to provide broadband wireless access. The idea behind the system is that a center unit, which remote antenna units connect to via optical fiber, receives optical signals. These are then picked up by the antennas, which convert them without having to process them.
While this technology is available today, future iterations will further combine wired and wireless network technology, which will provide users with a faster and more seamless experience. Integrating wired network technology also offers the potential to increase the security of connections.
Other technologies bound to influence the future of wired internet include advances in Ethernet technology. Today, researchers are already conducting tests to reach a 400-Gigabit Ethernet standard, which would revolutionize the wired technology.
How Wired Network Technology Evolves
The investment of industry leaders does influence how wired network technology evolves, but often it’s smaller companies, as well as universities, that contribute technologies that revitalize the industry. One of the reasons why is because many businesses focus on upgrading their existing products to meet consumer demand.
An example of some of the ways smaller parties are influencing the future of wired internet include the efforts of the University College of London, which developed fiber optic hardware that transmits data at more than one terabyte a second. That’s 50,000 times the average broadband speed.
What’s beneficial about this discovery is that the team accomplished it by using existing broadband network cables. It was how they sent the data, via different pulses of light at varying frequencies, which led to the increase. That kind of breakthrough could have a substantial influence on future advances in broadband communication and networks.
With different approaches, wired technology is evolving to new speeds.
Upgrade Your Wired Network Technology With Worldwide Supply
At Worldwide Supply, we stock new and used hardware for wired networks, providing your company with the necessary equipment to communicate and share data with ease. Our certified engineering staff also offers hands-on assistance.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist your company.