Even though 5G is at the forefront of innovation publicity, Wi-Fi6 devices are gaining traction and already outselling 5G devices. This will likely be the status quo for at least the next few years. The competitiveness of economics and data rate performance of fixed wireless access (FWA), which uses radio waves to deliver internet services between locations such as a mobile tower and a user’s home or office, is also on the rise.  It is furthermore estimated that the number of FWA connections will increase from approximately 60 million in 2020 to about 88 million in 2022.

These are only a few of the exciting innovations we can look forward to in 2022 and beyond. Over the next few weeks, we are going to share a series of articles focusing on the telecommunications industry and how its driving innovation across various industries. You can look forward to reading more about the following topics (and if you want to make sure you don’t miss any of these article’s please remember to subscribe to our newsletter):

1. Telecommunications as key drivers of economic growth

Telecommunication companies are the mainstay of the digital revolution. Since the advent of the internet, telecommunications companies have been responsible for building and maintaining the networks that carry the data. However, as those networks grow and become faster and more diverse, they have also become enablers of services that facilitate digital transformation. To adjust to this new paradigm, telecommunication companies had to reposition themselves as architects of growth and create platforms that allow companies to leverage cloud infrastructure, streaming services, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to drive economic growth. This article considers those instances where telecommunications play a vital role in growing economies.

2. Telecommunications – from whale sounds to communicating with outer space

Our second article in the series delves into different telecommunication techniques – from whale sounds to outer space communication. For decades, researchers have been listening patiently to the ether to find extra-terrestrial communication. From their hub at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, these researchers are searching for any signal or radio transmission, from outer space. Closer to home scientists are also recording the communication of blue whales and fin whales that produce low-frequency sounds that can travel 3 200 km or more underwater. These are just two of the unique ways in which communication research is taking place in the 21st century.

3. From rivers and oceans as ancient flows of information to the Internet of Things today

The earliest methods of communication included cave painting, smoke signals, carrier pigeons, and delivering handwritten letters by ship or boat until the first telegraph was invented. Today our communications are much more advanced, convenient and efficient using 5G and Wi-Fi to operate cell phones, the Internet, emails and social media. The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly growing too – as the number of connected devices is set to increase from 700 million to 3.2 billion by 2023, IoT is growing exponentially. There are several contributing factors for this growth but one of the most important factors is 5G and the development of 5G networks. This article’s main thrust is how IoT and 5G is working together to increase data-transfer speeds, ensure greater network reliability and much more.

4. Telecommunications: The future is here

Our final article concludes with what we consider to be the telecom trends and innovations of 2022 and beyond. We highlight the myriad possibilities of the future of telecoms and consider where tech fits into the telecoms space of the future.