'The pandemic has shown the undeniable value of wireless connectivity'

Atul Bhatnagar, President and CEO, Cambium Networks

The pandemic have forced some changes which are very likely to be permanent as people live in the post-COVID era. Connectivity has emerged as key consideration. The pandemic has shown the undeniable value of wireless connectivity to connect people in their residences. Wireless connectivity enables people to work at home, to move education classes online and to enable hospitals to rapidly expand facilities. Here are some of the changes that will likely become permanent:

1. Video connects people and teams – Video has proven to be effective and efficient in uniting people for business and personal matters. Large and small groups equipped with devices will continue to consider this as an option for any meeting.
2. The office is where you are – The work environment is now fully transportable. Secure wireless communications enable workers to have immediate contact to collaborate and improve decision making. While this has permanently blurred the line between home and office, a social protocol will be developed in the interest of balancing precious time.
3. Sensors will monitor people and things – To provide business continuity and public safety, key factors will be monitored, and data will be passed to automated analysis systems. Trends will be spotted earlier. Public safety systems will measure crowd density and traffic patterns. Wireless communications infrastructure will enable sensors and cameras to be placed exactly where they are needed at a fraction of the cost and time when compared to fiber infrastructure.
4. Networks will reach all places – Wireless networks will constantly evolve. They have proven to be a lifeline for people and businesses, and they can easily and efficiently connect the last 30 kilometers from the fiber backbone to the device. The performance and reliability of wireless is proven; the next step is to focus on improving the economics so that all developing communities can be connected.
5. Network management will be remote – Networks will be automated to perform monitoring and healing functions without physical human intervention. Scalability is the key, and automated access points with a cloud-managed infrastructure provide the ability for self-healing networks that can be managed from a cell phone or other device.