Telecoms networks are ‘maxed out’ and in need of an upgrade

The holy grail for the telecoms industry is a network that is all-powerful, always on and everywhere. This may sound fantastical to those using an unreliable mobile or home broadband connection, but it may be closer than many imagine.

“We think we are at a point where there is a huge disruption coming,” says Marcus Weldon, chief technology officer at Nokia and president of Bell Labs. Telecoms networks have already seen increases in speeds, but experts say a bigger change is needed in order to connect billions of devices in homes, work places and public spaces. The past few technology cycles have been driven by devices or web services, Weldon says, but the next disruption will be about creating cloud-based networks from which we can instantly access data. “Every device, every media, every person will be connected,” says Weldon. “Mundane tasks will be taken away by algorithms that can automate large chunks of everyday life. The network is cool again because it enables a new human existence.”

But new network architecture is needed. “All available tech is maxed out,” Weldon says. “We built a network for people but in future every person will have 100 connected things.” Fibre networks capable of carrying vast amounts of data across countries will need to be expanded. Developing the technology behind 5G — the next generation of high speed mobile — is also crucial.