We are running out of it Internet; It may sound like a strange question, but researchers meeting at the Royal Society in London this week discussed just that: the coming "thorn" of the internet, its capacity and what they can do about it.
The meeting provoked several headlines of warnings of a "full" internet and the possible need to use a data sheet, but the reality is more complex.
The crisis is real, and it is caused by the rapid growth of electronic media consumption through the likes of Netflix and YouTube, but physical and engineerings that can help us save it. The internet just needs a few tweaks.
Ο φόβος της έλλειψης χωρητικότητας πηγάζει από μια σκληρή φυσική αλήθεια – υπάρχει ένα όριο στο ποσό των πληροφοριών που μπορούν να χωρέσουν σε οποιοδήποτε κανάλι επικοινωνίας, καλώδιο οπτικών ινών ή καλωδίων χαλκού. Ανακαλύφθηκε το 1940 από τον Claude Shannon, και το όριο αυτό εξαρτάται από το εύρος ζώνης του καναλιού (ο αριθμός των συχνοτήτων που μπορεί να μεταδώσει} και την αναλογία του signalto noise (SNR).
Digital traffic jam
The capacity of the information in the optical fibers can be expanded by increasing the power of light emitted through them. This process enhances the encoding signal, making it easier to read from the other end.
Researchers have gone through decades to find ways to boost brands, to increase the capacity of fiber optics already on the ground to keep pace with increasing Internet traffic.
But this trick has reached a dead end. Power can only reach a certain point until the fiber saturates and the signal is downgraded. This means that the fibers we use today are reaching their full potential.
Ο René-Jean Essiambre της γαλλικής εταιρείας επικοινωνιών Alcatel-Lucent παρουσίασε μια research που υποδηλώνει ότι το όριο της χωρητικότητας του internet είναι γύρω στα 100 terabits ανά δευτερόλεπτο, 250 Blu-ray δίσκοι. Τα συστήματα οπτικών ινών του Διαδικτύου θα μπορούσαν να φθάσουν αυτό το όριο μέσα στα επόμενα πέντε χρόνια, προειδοποίησε.
Optical Fiber Fiber
But before closing your YouTube account, David Richardson of the University of Southampton, the United Kingdom, is researching new fibers containing multiple cores for data transmission on the Internet.
The construction of such optical fibers is more difficult than existing because the cores are particularly small in size and must retain their shape along the entire length of the cable. However, they seem to be able to transfer more data.
Techniques such as these will be key to combating the capacity crisis but if researchers are unable to scale up and commercialize solutions them, the traffic card or other restrictions on its use Internet may be the only option.
"I do not see a crisis on the Internet," said Andrew Lord, a UK-based researcher at BT. "I have a strong belief in the ingenuity of humans," he told New Scientist.
