A crucial part of maximizing a country’s socioeconomic development is improving access to gigabit broadband. Starting with the creation of ‘Gigacities’ – urban areas where access to gigabit internet access speeds is universal – is an efficient way of getting best-in-class broadband technology to large portions of the population and industries. The technology can then be cascaded out to more remote and rural areas where overall levels of high-speed broadband connectivity are typically lower.

The future is fiber

The importance of high-quality fixed broadband became abundantly clear during the COVID pandemic. It was the driving force for governments to increase their investment in broadband networks and set out ambitious broadband targets. However, such strategies are often set solely at a national level, with little consideration for the needs and challenges of urban and rural developments.

Cities and their residents, businesses, and public services can all benefit from Gigabit speed fiber connectivity. We are not talking about a simple step up from 10s or 100s of Mbps for applications such as streaming videos or playing computer games, but rather a fundamental driver and the foundation of broader smart city initiatives.

Other types of infrastructure and technology, such as cable broadband and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), can all deliver gigabit broadband speeds. For gigabit broadband connectivity however, all-optical fiber networks remain the most optimal, futureproof option.

As they become harder and more expensive to maintain, and increasingly unsuitable for overcoming growing demands for bandwidth, operators worldwide are beginning to phase out their old copper networks. Maintaining legacy networks becomes inefficient as maintenance costs rise and the number of connected customers dwindles. By retiring their legacy copper networks, network owners can reduce operational costs and free up investment for further fiber deployments and play a crucial role in laying the foundation for Gigacity rollouts. To do this, operators need government legislation and regulations to be put in place to aid them in this transition.

Why greater support is needed

We are now seeing next-generation broadband networks being rapidly deployed across the globe. By 2028 there will be just under 1.4bn Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) broadband subscriptions, making up 77% of the total global broadband subscription market. Gigabit broadband infrastructure is also expanding, yet current estimates indicate only 26% of households will be giga-connected by 2028. These are mainly concentrated in the regions of Oceania, East and South East Asia, and North America. To ensure 100% of the global population can take advantage of the socioeconomic benefits achieved through high-speed broadband services, greater investment will be vital.

Gigabit broadband speeds with low latency and high consistency will require advanced home networks. This means the rollout of new Wi-Fi standards – Wi-Fi 6 for Gigacities, and Wi-Fi 7 for 10Gigacities – with deeper deployment of fiber through Fiber-to-the-Room (FTTR) architectures, and technologies leveraging cloud AI data analytics.

Connecting urban environments will be key, as populations become increasingly concentrated. In 1970, only 36% of the world’s population lived in urban areas; by the turn of the century, this had increased to 55%. By 2030, this figure will be approximately 59%, increasing to 65% by 2050. If greater fiber and gigabit investment within urban areas is encouraged, it will make reaching the wider population and essential infrastructure so much easier.

This is because urban areas contain large industrial, educational, cultural and other key public establishments, due to the large number of people living and working in them. Connecting these institutions within a ‘campus network’ can help achieve an all-in-one network for office work, security, and production, with simplified passive optical LAN (POL) network architecture, accelerating the wide application of cloud services, and improving the efficiency of enterprises.

What gigacities can enable

It’s through these Gigabit-enabled networks that E-government technologies and tools can also be utilized, creating a more efficient way for governments and businesses to function. They will ensure increased transparency and greater participation of citizens in political life. The use of ICT by government bodies is nothing new, but E-government goes beyond the adoption of technology; it enables a complete re-evaluation of processes – including how bodies are organized and behave -with the aim of enhancing the delivery of public services. This can save money for both governments and businesses alike.

Smart financial technologies can be used to deliver comprehensive intelligence to businesses regarding their processes, development, and customer service. Using these technologies gives businesses the means to improve the efficiency and security of financial transactions.

Gigacities also allows businesses to fully embrace ‘Industry 4.0’, which aims to accelerate the digitalization of key industries. Through this concept, smart factories, as well as intelligent production and logistics can be realised, delivering on the full potential of the manufacturing industry. For the healthcare sector, key use cases enabled by gigabit networks include remote patient monitoring, care, and real-time professional consultations via HD-quality videoconferencing, alongside quicker access to health records such as digital X-rays.

Providing a guiding hand

The era of Gigacities is upon us, with organizations like the World Broadband Association (WBBA) asking governments to adopt ambitious national and regional plans to drive development. Targets such as the adoption of gigabit broadband services, and greater coverage of fiber infrastructure in residential, enterprise and public areas have been laid out to government bodies, alongside calls for policy support and financial incentives. These will go a long way to supporting market development and universal service obligations.

To help cities benchmark their own Gigacity development, the WBBA has also set out a set of key characteristics, including the level of fiber to the homes passed, mobile cell site fiber connectivity, median broadband speeds, percentage of schools covered by fiber optics, and industrial areas and other public sites covered by gigabit connectivity.

These characteristics are split into three bands: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Cities can benchmark themselves against these criteria to better understand where they are in their development compared to their global peers. Any city that is well underway in terms of its fiber deployments, providing a good level of gigabit coverage, but still needs to encourage greater penetration would be considered bronze. If there’s a high level of fiber coverage and gigabit take up across residential, enterprise, and public sites, it would be silver.

Only those with strong fiber coverage and gigabit penetration across all use cases can be considered gold. It’s the WBBA’s hope that by giving governments and cities guidance, they will be empowered to drive their own developments.

Driving further innovation

The guidance provided to governments and cities will hopefully change this approach, but proactivity remains essential. Once Gigacities become a reality across the world, an evolution towards 10Gigacities will be required, and this will mean greater coordination of efforts from government, private and non-profit organizations. If this can be achieved, those operating within these sectors can strengthen their position as pioneers of next-generation network technologies and enhance their nation’s competitiveness and international standing in a fully connected, intelligent era. The WBBA has passed on the baton, and the race is on.