entering an inflection point where we will see accelerated proliferation of ICTenabled changes across every aspect of the education process , the economy , and the world over the next decade , fostering profound economic and social changes .
Mobile 5G 5G is a new end-to-end ecosystem designed to enable a fully mobile and connected society . The evolution to 5G is one factor spurring the advancements in ICT by creating ubiquitous terrestrial broadband infrastructure . The next generation of mobile communication ( 6G ) will integrate to satellite networks to enable extraterrestrial communication . 5G networks are not going to be a monolithic network entity but rather will be built around a combination of technologies : 2G , 3G , LTE , LTE-A , Wi-Fi , M2M , etc . In other words , 5G will be designed to support a variety of applications such as the IoT , connected wearables , augmented reality , and immersive gaming . 5G networks will offer the ability to handle a full spectrum of connected devices and a myriad of traffic types . For example , 5G will provide ultra-high-speed links for HD video streaming as well as low-data-rate speeds for IoT sensor networks . Although there is not yet an official service definition of 5G , it promises a quantum leap in mobile broadband ; 40x Gbps improvements in speed and much lower latency which will dramatically change the user ’ s mobile experience .
The fundamental technologies that enable 5G include millimeter wave ( MmWave ) spectrum of 30-to-300GHZ , multiple and massive antenna systems ( MIMO ), and low-powered radio access small cells . MmWave technologies make it possible to utilize the vast amount of new spectrum for mobile communication ; massive MIMO extends the range and increases spectral efficiency in these frequencies by employing a large number of antennas ; small-cell technologies provide the means to deploy a ubiquitous wide-area mobile network with a large number of small cells supporting every aspect of a specific geographic region like a campus . Collectively , these technologies enable 5G mobile broadband to support much larger capacity , much higher data rate , and much denser deployment than 4G , which will allow users to seamlessly switch between private networks and public networks .
We are just starting to see the emergence of many new 5G-enabled applications in transportation ( driverless cars ), remote operations in healthcare , manufacturing , and content delivery ( virtual reality and ubiquitous access ), which will affect the way students experience and consume content . ICT managers need to start their research and engage their customers now to start strategizing ideas and prototyping new services that may be enabled by the emerging 5G technologies . Many carriers are targeting 2020 as general availability for 5G .
IoT ICT managers will benefit most from IoT by not thinking about the physical technology but rather about how they can personalize their customer ’ s user experience . The most simplistic way to embrace IoT is to conduct a simple threestep assessment as to how IoT may transform the services that can be delivered to customers :
• Step 1 – What benefit can be achieved by incorporating intelligence to an existing “ dumb device ”?
• Step 2 – What benefit can be derived by connecting an intelligent device to a network ?
• Step 3 – What transformational service can be created from this new intelligent networked device ?
A simple well-known example of IoT is how in 2007 Apple incorporated network capabilities and intelligence into a legacy MP3 player dumb-device known as the iPod to create the iPhone . Once the iPhone was created , it became a portal to access and consume all sorts of content anywhere and anytime . The real value achievement of this new intelligent device came from the proliferation of cloud services such as the iTunes store , digital music stations , YouTube , the Web browser , and the plethora of over 2 million applications now available on the application store .
Following the precedents established from the initial Web development , it is anticipated that higher-education institutions will lead the way in developing many new 5G solutions . For instance , ICT managers can leverage mobile development platforms to create new services for their students such as “ campus event application ” that allows students to seamlessly meet , communicate , and schedule events with anyone in their specific classes , instructors , or tutors . This is just a simple use-case that parallels the growing popularity of conference mobile applications . Some other obvious examples that can be envisioned relate to changing the user experience for registration and improving campus security , smart buildings , classrooms , and parking facilities .
WebRTC with Unified Communication & and Collaboration As a discrete technology , VoIP has been around for almost two decades . However , over the last few years , the capabilities to create an inexpensive and seamless unified communication experience for all data streams — voice , video , IM , e-mail , conferencing through WebRTC ( Web Real Time Communication )— is enabling new integrations that are dramatically transforming the user experience .
WebRTC allows real-time communications to have purpose and be contact and context specific . WebRTC introduces new applications that are suitable for devices in IoT , telecom services , television , and general ICT services . For example , instant messaging and capabilities of video can be integrated at service terminals connected across a campus or even within a professor ’ s personal web page . These experiences can be enhanced with two-way audio video , remote control , and screen sharing . It is easy to envision how this type of capability can virtualize the
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11 Winter 2017 ACUTA Journal