Steve Chalmers
Jul 25, 2017 · 1 min read

Not buying this argument. Still need backhaul: the communication is going to be between the mobile unit and some data center on the wired network. Yes, you can do a couple of hops of wireless, but do the math: if each packet takes “N” hops, you get 1/Nth the bandwidth. And don’t forget both the very short range at these teeny wavelengths, and the impact of obstacles or (sorry, I’m a traditionalist here) atmospheric conditions on signal quality.

WiMax (simply running a WiFi grid outdoors) didn’t displace the last mile a decade ago, and 5G won’t have displaced it a decade from now. Maybe the last 100 feet, but not the last mile.

    Steve Chalmers

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    Student of complex systems; prematurely retired from a career in tech focused on the boundaries between server, storage, and network in the data center.