As the world continues to unveil the new 5G technology, leading telecommunications player Huawei is already angling on the next big thing, Net 5.5G.
This future technology, says Huawei, is only three to eight years away and is expected to be an upgrade of the current 5G.
According to the President of Huawei, Data Communication Product Line Kevin Hu, Net 5.5G is designed for the near future where data centers will become more integral for running business with a high degree of automation and digitalization and demand from several users running online applications will rise exponentially.
In a statement sent to the media houses, Hu cited the example of the financial services and energy sectors, noting that deepening reliance on high technology means the economy will need communication technology that can power high, simultaneous multi user demand.
“This near future will have more devices with larger applications connected to the Internet and thus at all times, financial services systems such as Safaricom’s Mpesa coupled with Kenya Power’s technology-driven national energy grid will gain critical national importance. We will need wireless technologies that are more capable than 5G within the next 5 to 10 years as more intelligent applications emerge,” said Hu.
He advised operators to continually invest in their networks to avoid crisis scenarios. One way will be to get to Net5.5G, which is capable of powering the Intelligent Internet of Everything.
The president noted that 5.5G has already been defined by its ability to support 100 billion connections and ubiquitous 10 Gbit/s connectivity. This emerging technology will play a vital role in the growth of the digital economy.
He added that it is also expected to benefit human undertakings, including biodiversity conservation.
In the Net 5.5G environment of the Internet, Hu said, big data, IoT, remote sensing, radar, and drones, it will be possible to build a comprehensive monitoring system supported by ‘space-air-ground’ integrated monitoring networks.
This system, he said, helps to monitor key locations around the clock including road entrances and exits, wildlife habitats, and road nodes in protected areas, to gain real-time knowledge of human activities and ensure that the ecosystem isn’t disturbed.
In addition, the Net 5.5G future is one where harmonized communication and sensing (HCS) will allow products and equipment such as drones and autonomous vehicles to work and respond better for larger and more complex tasks.
In future, Hu noted that the data center network has become the infrastructure for operators to provide IT services and now moves towards an all-ethernet converged architecture where the quality of the connectivity is higher, and it meets the interconnection requirements of backbone networks in industries such as financial institutions that require reliable, secure services for applications including credit card processing, file sharing, data backup.
He emphasized that the development of Net5.5G requires the joint efforts of the industry. Huawei will work with customers and partners together to promote industry consensus and related standards, make key technology innovations, accelerate the pilot of business scenario innovation, and continue to explore new business boundaries.
By Catherine Muindi
