- Attention is shifting from addressing the digital divide to connecting data centers as broadband providers follow the money
- Nokia’s David Eckard used his keynote to highlight some of the key challenges in tackling this new market
- Though innovation is progressing, some fundamental truths about optical tech can’t be changed
BROADBAND NATION EXPO, ORLANDO, FLORIDA – In the world of communications networks and ISPs, talking about closing the digital divide and rural connectivity is so 2024, apparently. Now, it’s all about data center connectivity, AI — and preparing for the post-quantum era.
How do we know? Well, one of the first questions David Eckard, head of strategy, Fixed Networks, at Nokia, asked during his keynote this morning at Fierce Network and TIA’s annual Broadband Nation Expo, was: “Has anyone seen an AI GPU? They will take your breath away.”
He continued, “The scale of these networks are completely different, and with these networks, data is key, and so interconnecting these different data centers is fundamental.”
The data center boom is nothing new, but what is new for ISPs is the sheer demand for network capacity and low latency. Innovation in fiber optics to keep up with demand is moving quickly, but no matter what, “the one thing you cannot change is the speed of a photon on a fiber,” said Eckard.
He added latency is a fundamental when it comes to broadband, but scale, security, automation and collaboration are also key to addressing challenges of AI-driven networks.
Catch all of our coverage from Broadband Nation Expo this week right here.