OPINION
13
Networking
trends
3 big trends to expect in networking
By Comtec
www.comtecdirect.co.uk
With a new year upon us, many businesses will be making
their plans for the coming 12 months, and in 2019,
digital capabilities are set to be a top priority for many
organisations. Consequently, networking solutions will be
under greater pressure than ever to deliver fast, reliable
speeds to more users. However, there will be a range of new
technologies and standards to assist with this in the coming
year, so what can professionals expect to be on their agenda
in 2019?
Wi-Fi 6
One of the biggest steps forward for many networking
professionals in the coming year will be the emergence of
the next generation of wireless technology, in the form of
Wi-Fi 6. This standard, also known as 802.11ax, is expected
to start appearing on devices in the coming months and
promises a significant performance boost over the current
802.11ac, or Wi-Fi 5, which has been in use since 2014.
Headline speeds are forecast to be some 40% higher
than Wi-Fi 5, but this is just one of the benefits of the
technology. Perhaps of greater interest to many users will
be its improved ability to operate in crowded areas and
serve more devices simultaneously. It does this by dividing
wireless channels into a large number of sub-channels, each
of which can carry data intended for a different device. This
helps to tackle congestion, reduce bottlenecks and ensure
that all users can enjoy an uninterrupted signal. In fact, it’s
estimated that Wi-Fi 6 will improve average throughput per
user fourfold in dense environments.
Faster fibre
Fixed-line networks in the UK are also expected to deliver
improved performance in the coming year as efforts to
move away from legacy copper cabling networks gather
this year as new technologies and
standards come into effect
pace. In 2018, the government formally introduced a
target of moving the entire country’s infrastructure to full
fibre networks by 2033, so much of the work towards this
may well start to gather pace in the next 12 months now
there’s more support in place.
Some firms have already announced large-scale
investments, with CityFibre recently committing £2.5
billion to the roll-out of full fibre networks. With the
government adding some £200 million to fund full fibre
networks in parts of the country that may be otherwise
considered too hard to reach and also beginning the
process of ensuring that full fibre will be mandatory in all
new build properties. This should also help stimulate the
deployment of faster fibre technology to more locations in
the coming year.
An explosion of devices
Another key factor that many organisations will have to
take into account will be the number of devices needing to
connect to networks at any one time. Home and business
users alike are likely to see their number of gadgets
increase in the coming months, with devices such as smart
assistants and automation products controlling the likes of
heating and lighting among the most common additions to
networks.
This is likely to greatly increase the pressure on both wired
and wireless networks to deliver fast, reliable connectivity
to multiple users without any drop in performance, so
improving the available bandwidth of infrastructure is set
to be a top priority for networking professionals in the year
ahead. With a range of IoT gadgets, mobile devices and
other equipment all competing for space, getting all these to
work in harmony will be the key to a strong network in 2019
and beyond. n
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