Gigabit Soon Will be the Standard for All Access Networks

source: Huawei

As crazy as it might sound, virtually all Internet access platforms in the U.S.--and some other markets--are headed for a “gigabit” standard.

Comcast has in operation a program to upgrade 100 percent of those locations to gigabit Internet access. That matters.

In 2016, Comcast had about 24 million Internet access customers, compared to 16.6 million for AT&T and seven million served by Verizon. In other words, Comcast alone has as many customers as AT&T and Verizon put together.

In the whole market, telcos all together represent just 38 percent of total connections. So although it matters that AT&T, CenturyLink, Google Fiber and others are building gigabit networks, it is the cable operators who lead the market.

At the same time, Wi-Fi is capable of supporting gigabit access rates. Gigabit is the new standard for fiber-to-home networks, while 5G will bring gigabit speeds to mobile for the first time.

And many of us believe fixed wireless now will emerge as a significant platform for gigabit wireless connections, as well.

Significantly, huge new allocations of millimeter wave bandwidth likely could rescue existing wireless ISPs from the bandwidth constraints that otherwise might have put them at a huge disadvantage in markets where “gigabit” is the market reference point.