| | November 20168CIOReviewDefining the Gigabit Society and How It Can Change IndustriesIn My OpinionTelecommunications and mobility connectivity are breeding grounds for innovation. It has transformed the way people communicate, share content, digest news, entertain themselves, and how companies do business. However, as each year passes, the size of the new connected world and the demands of the individuals living in it continue to grow at an astounding rate. Gartner projects that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide this year (2016), up to 30 percent from last year. Gartner had also forecast that number will grow to nearly 21 billion by the year 2020which triples Earth's population, sitting just north of seven billion. These numbers show that connections are going beyond just a single device for each individual and that things will increasingly be connected as we continue to drive innovation. While today's infrastructure can sustain the current culture of connectivity, as we continue to innovate, the technology behind the connectivity must change as well. But, today's legacy copper connections used in most networks are not designed to handle that rapid growth and continuous connected innovation. As industries evolve the services they offer to customers, they'll require `gigabit' connectivity that can provide reliable and consistent high quality connections no matter the distance.This reality means that we must look forward and build the Gigabit Societyone where individuals and businesses alike can benefit from widespread connectivity of one gigabit per second, low latency and reliable performance delivered by robust, future-proof, fixed, and mobile technologies. To make this vision a reality, communications providers need to start charging forward toward fiber optic connections to usher in the era of the Gigabit Society. Similar to the innovation that has already taken place thanks to connectivity, there are many direct and indirect benefits of a Gigabit Society. The need for a Gigabit Society is clearly emerging across a number of industries. For example, there are six specific industries By Chuck Pol, President and Country Chairperson, Vodafone AmericasChuck Pol
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