For those of us who are not technically inclined, the internet remains an unfathomable achievement of modern technology. By clicking a few buttons, we can magically read, watch, or listen to just about anything. But how can we unravel this black box just a tiny little bit, mostly so we don’t feel quite as clueless? What, for instance, is all this talk about fiber internet? And even though we mention 5G all the time, what is it?
The Concept
In its absolute simplest form, the internet can be described as a global network of computers that can communicate. Data that is sent via this network is sent as many fragments called packets which are reconstructed at their final destination to recreate the original message. As such, packets must physically travel from one computer to another. Various types of wired connections have been used to transmit this information. Examples include power lines, traditional copper wire telephone lines (used by DSL or Digital Subscriber Line), coaxial cables also made of copper that were designed to deliver video and audio to a television (as in Cable TV), and fiber-optic cables that transmit information with pulses of light (see more below). Satellite internet has been used in areas where wired connections are not available.
Connecting
In order to connect to the internet, one obviously needs a computer, which in this day and age can include a tablet or smartphone. Within a home or business, a specialized router (Wi-Fi router) allows us to remain overweight by being able to lie on the couch and wirelessly send information from the computer to the router. This router then communicates with a modem that converts (translates) the data from digital format to one suitable for transmission along telephone lines, coaxial cables, fiber-optic cables, etc. (Alternatively, one can connect a computer to the router via an ethernet cable, eliminating the wireless portion of the communication.) Once the data makes it out of our house via whatever wired connection is used, it will ultimately require access to the internet as a whole. At this point, our local Internet Service Provider (ISP) enters the picture, maintaining the infrastructure that allows access to essentially the entire world.
Fiber
Fiber internet has been a hot topic in recent years. Under this setup, the wired connection from a residence or business transmits information in the form of light, as opposed to the electric current used by other types of connections. Given that light travels much faster than electricity, fiber internet is known for speed. (The light pulses in a fiber connection are not exactly traveling at the speed of light, but they are still remarkably fast.) Interestingly, submarine communication cables (literally located at the bottom of our oceans) already use fiber-optic technology to carry information across the world. Therefore, the benefit for the consumer comes by replacing the home to ISP connection with fiber, allowing for the fastest speeds along the entire length of communication.
5G
Tablets and smartphones can also connect to the internet in a different fashion, namely via cellular networks (think 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.). When we refer to using “data” rather than Wi-Fi, we are referring to these cellular networks. In this case, information is wirelessly sent from the device to the nearest cell tower, at which point a large network of wired connections (including the aforementioned submarine communication cables) can be accessed. In other words, wireless communication is still very dependent on wires! Given that the speeds associated with 5G, or the fifth generation technology for cellular networks, are expected to be very fast, speculation that this technology could compete with residential fiber connections does exist.
Hopefully, this information has helped to demystify a rather unbelievable modern phenomenon. If nothing else, the next time you toss around the terms “fiber” and “5G,” you might actually sort of know what you’re saying.
