Global Workplace Analytics estimated that 3.6 per cent of U.S. employees worked entirely at home in 2018, five days a week. That’s a slow 173 per cent shift over the 13-year stretch. 2020 is arriving and 85% of us are employed at home (per choice or necessity). The US economy has shrunk by just 3.5 per cent in 2020 even as 8 in 10 of us are in a dramatically different work atmosphere with dogs barking, children rightly need endless assistance, assistance and entertainment. Really, something’s gone right.
One of the possible reasons why GDP has not been so badly damaged is the availability of high-speed Internet (HSI) to provide easy, digital office space at home. But remember the following:
48 percent of systems run IDG-based on the cloud, so connecting to such applications requires bandwidth anywhere you are.
The total amount of call time for an American worker per day is 56 minutes. Entry to quality connections has gradually become a hurdle or a differentiator for workers.
Kids (and maybe us) spend five or six hours a day on Zoom. The lack of bandwidth (cell phone or laptop) again creates problems where workers are unable to express, consult or present their thoughts.
If you live in an area where the speed of internet access is sluggish (I define HSI as providing download speeds of at least 25Mbps and uploads of at least 3Mbps), how much of a disadvantage are you and your children? How much will the opportunity and revenue be impacted, or the current disparities widened?
Think about this gap, the 2021 FCC Broadband Deployment Report showed that 98.8% of urban dwellers have access to HSI. Just 82.7% of rural dwellers would say the same thing. Stretch it to tribal lands, and we’re down to a low 79.1%. Approximately 80 per cent of the 15 million people who cannot use HSI live in rural areas.
5G and the intelligent edge establish a fundamental change in economics
Effectively creating a rural network that allows all people to participate in the new revolution means engaging in 5G infrastructure for both cellular and fixed networks. The 5G standard empowers a greater spectrum of use than ever before, with higher speeds, wider coverage areas and increased protection over previous 4G networks.
But it doesn’t make much use in having this modern network if people can’t afford it. And that’s where the smart edge comes in. It transfers real-time computing power close to where it is produced, which means faster distribution and lower operating costs.
Combining 5G with an intelligent edge will offer the same workload output with less overhead, resulting in substantially lower costs. And, in developing an intelligent rural network, maintaining prices under check would be a vital factor in making it accessible for all.
The promise to open RAN for rural networks
RAN (Radio Network Access) is the “last mile” of the network, the visible connection between the network and the cell phone.
Operators have been working to open RAN protocols and eliminate dependence on single-vendor platforms. Wide operators such as Orange, Vodafone and MTN are now preparing to use virtual (VRAN) and Open RAN to carry services to new markets, so it offers more options for equipment suppliers, lower TCOs, and makes it easy to update parts as required.
For rural networks, where costs are a major factor in installing new or redundant networks, Open RAN offers the ability for competitive procurement and frees CSPs to select the right technology options for the scenario, rather than being linked to single-vendor products. When talking about rural access, Open RAN plus 5G creates a promising mix.
Using the Intelligent Edge and AI Analytics to reduce costs
Past ventures have demonstrated that the costs involved in building up networks over a vast geographic area have been substantial. Intelligent rural networks can exploit powerful emerging technologies such as distributed clouds and edge computing to minimize costs.
Increased opportunities for everybody
In the age of information, digital connectivity is a must to ensure that every person has an equitable chance to succeed.
