Ahead of Lightfest 2015, Aston University Professor Andrew Ellis warns that the national network may be reaching its limit, and that future capacity will be unable to match the increasing internet demand.
Ellis, of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Aston University, has warned about this topic previously in May of this year. He claimed that within 8 years the current fibre optic cables in use would be completely filled up, and that if multiple fibres were deployed, electricity would run out in 15 years. In his statement this week, he warned customers may have to reconsider how they use the internet, or face raising costs.
He said: “Demand for internet capacity keeps soaring, and we’re now reaching the point where it’s increasingly difficult to stay ahead of that demand using current approaches. It’s incredible we’ve managed to stay ahead this long, but now researchers are finding they just cannot fit much more data down traditional fibre optic lines.
“Soon, unless we increase costs by deploying more fibres, we may need radical changes to the way we either use or distribute data if we are to overcome this capacity crunch. We should start having the conversation now – are consumers willing to accept higher charges for increased bandwidth or can we be more considered about the capacity we consume? Will we lay additional cables, or will we look to the likes of Netflix to help us manage demand?”
Ellis is to hold a talk at Lightfest 2015, a light science festival featuring workshops, demonstrations, artwork and lectures, held at the Library of Birmingham Friday 25th of September.