Future applications of broadband vis-à-vis challenges involved in the process
Bandwidth-heavy applications in the not too distant future will be far more comprehensive and multi-tasking, as compared to those that are now available with us. For instance, some of these will involve transferring high-resolution images and videos across multiple users. Also in the air are remote-controlled housekeeping robots that will help people keep their homes spic and span while they are occupied in their profession or day-to-day work (Google Moderator, n.d.) This type of application, incidentally, relies on the concept of Pervasive Computing, also known as ubiquitous computing which is an emerging trend, associated with embedding microprocessors in day-to-day issues, while allowing them to communicate information. Pervasive Computing is also linked with future healthcare and teaching.
Wearable sensors
Wearable sensors will play an important role in collecting and storing physiological and related data, thus helping create a patient’s status monitoring. Sensors to check and observe key issues such as heart rate/ respiratory rate, especially when monitoring patients suffering from congestive heart failure or COPD will prove vitally important both for diagnosis and treatment. As for transmission of messages, wireless communication will be mostly relied upon to transmit patient’s data through a mobile phone as well as an Access point and then relay the information to a remote center via the Internet through high speed broadband. This will prove most beneficial for patients living in isolated areas where healthcare facilities are limited or are difficult to obtain.
Challenges involved in the process
To begin with, the expression challenge may be substituted with confrontation since future broadband applications, apart from its technical issues, also lack in availability and adoption. Even though the problems revolve round worldwide network architecture and design to a great extent, these are also linked to low-income urban areas, as also rural districts where the residents are either not too familiar with the technology, or feel least interested in its development. Nevertheless, the key issues that supposedly hinder development of future broadband applications are outlined below.
- Capital shy project – The major hurdle that confronts the project lies in matching investors with entrepreneurs. On one hand entrepreneurs lack the positive force to go ahead with the project, on the other hand investors feel shy about coughing up the money required for broadband application development. On top of that, if any sub-project fails for technical reasons, investors stay away en masse.
- Apathetic attitude expressed by ISPs- Regrettably enough, Internet Service Providers, instead of showing more interest in development of broadband applications, feel reluctant about it, because they are already very deeply involved with the current form of broadband and are mostly engaged in rate cutting in order to make more money than involving themselves in its future development.
- Social resistance is yet another crucial factor that has gone against broadband application development. Save and except researchers who are interested in technological developments, professionals such as teachers, doctors, lawyers and company executives seem to be much too happy with what present day broadband offers to them. They also are unwilling to spend any time to experiment with broadband application development matters.
Despite the lackadaisical attitude expressed by ISPs and common broadband users, Broadband application Development cannot be stopped. It’s however, a matter of time when newer applications will eventually replace the old ones, ushering in a faster and more effective method of accessing the Internet.
