6. Connectivity – The Digital Ring that Binds

Main takeaways:

• Connectivity is a specific aspect of digitalisation. We are witnessing an exponential increase in connected objects
• The coming 5G connectivity is expected to allow networks to function with far lower latency, costs and power consumption
• This will enable us to manage a world of Convergent domains as one unified whole

“One ring to rule them all…”      (The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien)

In a past article, I have spoken of the trends of Decentralisation and Decarbonisation that are shaping the coming world. These are two spear tips of a trident being hurled at the fossil fuel world, the third of which is Digitalisation.

Going “digital” is one of the buzz words these days. But what does it really mean? And how is it specifically relevant to our discussion? To address these questions, I’ll begin by defining “digital” in terms of what it means and how it impacts our activities:

• “Digital” involves increasingly intelligent ways to (i) acquire useful programmable data, (ii) process and analyse it in an efficient, cost-effective and timely manner, and (iii) enable better decisions by feeding insights via a user-friendly interface
• The impact of this is to yield greater value from our usual activities, and to enable us to devise new value-creating activities that comprise either new business ideas or new behavioural patterns in our daily lives

Thus to share some common examples, the “digital” phenomenon manifests itself in social media, mobile apps, cloud computing, cognitive analytics, and the Internet-of-Things (IoT). This article focuses on an aspect of this digital world, that of “Connectivity”.

We are seeing an exponential increase in connected objects. These are expected to double in number to over 50 billion between now and 2020. Sensors pervade our existence. The data they collect is feeding decisions, many of which are made in real-time. Successive generations of connectivity protocol come with improved data handling capability. The coming 5G connectivity is expected to allow networks to function with far lower latency (i.e. delays in data transfer), costs and power consumption. Here’s a lovely chart from the CDO Alliance that lays out the contours of the connectivity needs of various sectors.

A 5G network will therefore be well equipped to handle multiple data-streams across a distributed domain of connected energy generation, consumption and storage points. It should be capable of tapping into real-time pricing algorithms, and allowing objects to transact securely with each other without human intervention. A 5G network is essential for real-time navigation and steering of autonomous vehicles. It can be used to manage large crowds at events with face recognition technology coupled with pattern identification. It can allow buildings to respond to ambient conditions in line with levels of occupancy and activity. The list goes on…

In general, we can’t imagine a Convergent world without the enabling ring of Connectivity that allows us to manage these domains as one unified whole. And we aren’t speaking of a world that’s far out into the future. The transition to this world is already underway. It’s the frontier on which city planning is being rethought to create better cities for the connected future. The next article will discuss a new urban planning model that is built upon this Convergence.