Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1066130
38 I ICT TODAY 8 AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES: Mark Niehus, RCDD, is director of strategic accounts for Connectivity Wireless Solutions. He has more than 25 years of ICT installation, design and project management experience and has worked with enterprise customers to specify, engineer, fund and deploy wired and wireless networks. Mark has a BA from the University of Iowa and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He can be reached at mniehus@connectivitywireless.com Scott Rahim is a national solutions engineer for Connectivity Wireless Solutions. Scott applies in-building wireless (DAS) knowledge to ensure best-in-class system design, performance and consistent RF engineering for enterprise clients. With project experience spanning many industries, Scott has designed, engineered, commissioned and managed some the nation's most complex venues. Rahim is certified in all major DAS technologies and has a BS in Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He can be reached at srahim@connectivitywireless.com. REFERENCES: 1. https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/ blog/2018/10/01/keeping-fast-pace-spec- trum 2. https://indoor.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/ lbnl-47713.pdf and https://www.buildinggreen.com/blog/ we-spend-90-our-time-indoors-says-who 3. http://info.ibwave.com/in-building-net- work-revolution-4g-to-5g-whitepaper OPTICAL FIBER Optical fiber, more than ever, is the foundation for tomorrow's next-generation wireless networks. Verizon recently announced its plans to bring 5G to fruition in the U.S., and one key foundation for this strategy is more than $1 billion of new fiber optic infrastructure to support its network. The bandwidth or information-carrying capacity for singlemode fiber is still theoretically unlimited. Therefore, forward- thinking ICT designers and planners, aware of future high- speed wireless applications, are re-thinking cabling design and media for buildings. In the past, singlemode fiber systems served primarily as a "backbone" for IT infrastructure. Today, some network architects are instead deploying a "fiber-deep" or "fiber-to- the-edge" strategy in which singlemode fiber is brought as close to the user or device as possible. Given what is known about fiber and given what is expected in terms of significant developments in near-term 5G solutions, this concept may have merit for building owners who want to provide the most runway for future needs and applications. SUMMING IT UP The ICT industry is at the cusp of a wave of new and innovative near-term 5G solutions that will alter how building infrastructure for next-generation wireless systems are planned and designed. The FCC's 5G Fast Plan, with the potential to drive massive change in how coverage inside buildings is addressed, coupled with 5G's promises of ubiquitous coverage, increased throughput, and low latency, is paving the way for cellular connectivity to become the primary connection for enterprise customers.