A few years ago, the concepts of smart connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT) were only being discussed in relatively small circles. When it came to explaining their importance and potential beyond those tight circles of tech geeks, not many people had any inkling whatsoever of just how crucial they’d soon become to our future.

Fortunately, the landscape has changed somewhat, and the universalisation of fibre optic technology as a connectivity standard – alongside the implementation of wireless technologies, such as 5G and satellite connectivity – has closed the gaps in our understanding of how these technologies will soon affect broad swathes of society, making smart connectivity and the IoT two much more common companions in many aspects of our lives.

What is smart connectivity?

The term “smart connectivity” refers to a world in which various technologies – such as fibre optic and wireless connectivity, like 5G and satellites – give us fast data flows, automation, robotisation, artificial intelligence and new materials.

In a world of smart connectivity, we’ll enjoy faster development, more interaction between devices, greater productivity and efficiency, better security and response speeds in areas as diverse as public health, energy management, infrastructure regulation, transport, communications, education and entrepreneurship in a whole host of different markets.

Some examples of smart connectivity

It’s already quite normal to see virtual assistants in the home, with the likes of Amazon Alexa and Google Home now practically members of the family in their own right. Any one of these assistants can now connect to smart appliances in our homes and respond to orders, such as turning lights on and off, placing online orders for grocery shopping when they detect the absence of certain products in the fridge, even controlling the shutters or background music at a party. These are all clear examples of smart connectivity.

Another example would be smart bands and smart watches that connect directly to health centres or emergency services when they detect an abnormal heart rate of the person wearing them. Similarly, smart connectivity means hospitals being able to request or send the entire medical records of a patient to another city or country with just a single click.

The importance of fibre optic technology in smart connectivity

Of course, the existence of more and more devices capable of connecting to the Internet and each other, everything from vehicles to sunglasses, will gradually make the Internet of Things a natural extension of our everyday lives. But none of this will be possible without the “touchstone” that brings coherence and meaning to the entire system: fibre optic technology.

Fibre optic brings the bandwidth, structural robustness, low latency, security and transmission speeds that will allow us to contemplate a truly connected world, as well as a near future where smart connectivity makes our lives better.

Even though optical fibre has been our preferred form of connectivity for a while now, only carefully balanced development of all the technologies involved will make smart connectivity a real possibility in all the areas and scenarios where we hope to see it applied. Working in favour of the standardisation of smart connectivity is the fact that, as well as the corporate world, many important productive sectors – such as Industry 4.0 and energy management – are betting the house on this technological model. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we can start profiting from this level of connectivity and all the benefits it will bring.