Can we have fast Internet without 5G?

Yes we can.

Due to a recent technological breakthrough, fiber optics can now transmit data at 200 gigabits per secondabout 20 times faster than the theoretical speeds promised by the fastest versions of wireless 5G  Forget 5G satellites. Forget beaming signals through wireless transmitters. This breakthrough defines fiber as the solution for rural broadband and all of our internet needs.

80% of wireless traffic is generated indoors. We do not need microcells placed by our homes to provide cell service for the 20% of time our usage is mobile. Fiber-optic cables – which carry signals by pulsing light – are already used to connect microcells to the “hub”. Completing the “last mile” by extending the fiber to every premise would:

  • permit the implementation of safe, secure, and truly green wired smart city applications 
  • allow those who choose to create their own IoT worlds to do so by using the lightening-fast connection supplied by direct fiber with a personal wireless router
  • reserve existing cell towers for necessary mobile needs
  • save those who choose wellness and safe data over gadgets from being forcibly exposed to microcells

A wireless connection consumes roughly 10 times more energy than a wired one does. However, given the glut of resources used to manufacture all digital devices, wireless and wired, planned obsolescence, and the energy required to power our devices and store our data, we should be greatly reducing all of our digital consumption.