Broadband has already had a transformative impact on our everyday lives. By facilitating much faster and more reliable internet use, it is made a whole series of tasks that were previously impossible easy.
There is no sign that progress in this high-capacity transmission technique is slowing. In fact, a whole series of exciting and groundbreaking developments are heading our way. Here is a brief exploration of the future of broadband. Tailored marketing
Already, innovative companies are using broadband to enable tailored marketing campaigns. For example, forward looking firms can turn to the solutions offered by Airangel. It provides safe and secure WiFi solutions suited for both indoor and outdoor environments, as well as for use in vehicles. By utilising these services, businesses can offer their customers user-friendly WiFi access while at the same time getting access to valuable data about web use. Ultimately, this information can help firms to tailor their marketing efforts and to ensure that they meet and exceed their customers’ needs.
The advantages of tailored marketing are many and varied. It can help enterprises to boost their profits and enjoy long-term success. Meanwhile, it can ensure that customers benefit from deals and products that perfectly meet their personal requirements and preferences.
It seems likely that as time passes, more and more companies will switch onto the benefits afforded to them by such savvy intelligence and marketing tactics.
Ubiquitous connectivity
Broadband may also help to facilitate ubiquitous internet connectivity. It might seem like everyone’s already online, but in fact around two-thirds of the world’s population don’t have access to the web yet.
One company that is at the forefront of addressing this issue is internet giant Google. In June last year, the firm launched project Loon. The idea behind this initiative is to use a network of balloons travelling on the edge of space to connect people living in remote and rural areas. The goal is to help fill web coverage gaps and to bring individuals back online in the wake of disasters.
The Loon balloons float up high in the stratosphere, where there are many layers of wind, each varying in direction and speed. The balloons travel to where they’re needed by rising or descending into a suitable wind layer. Meanwhile, people can connect to the network using a special internet antenna that’s attached to their buildings.
Of course, this isn’t the only project designed to broaden internet use that is currently taking place. Many governments and companies across the planet are investing in improvements to broadband infrastructure in a bid to improve and expand connectivity.
Internet of Things
Another major area of development to watch out for is the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). This involves embedding digital behaviour into everyday objects and then making sure they are connected thanks to suitable networking technology. It has been described as a ‘layer of digital information which covers the physical world’.
By imbuing objects with the right technology and connectivity, it is possible to express digital information in a physical form and experts involved in the work suggest it could have a transformative impact on people’s daily lives.
Eventually, devices ranging from fridges and ovens to heart monitors will be able to communicate via wireless internet connections.
During a CeBIT trade fair staged in Hannover earlier this year, UK prime minister David Cameron highlighted his government’s commitment to this technology. He revealed that the administration is to spend an additional £45 million on the IoT.
Much more to come
Of course, these are just a few of the ways in which internet technology and broadband use is developing. When it comes to the future of broadband and the web, it’s a case of watch this space!
