As mobility and the Internet of Things (IoT) gains steam, wireless communications and mobile network solutions providers seek to speed up the Internet in the U.S. during 2015, including initiatives from the White House. AOptix Technologies, Inc. plans to have a big part in the process using its multi-gigabit wireless fiber alternative, which offloads or transports data where fiber isn’t available or feasible to lay.

How does the technology work? And will net neutrality mandates get in the way of technological progress? Christina Richards, VP of Marketing for AOptix, recently talked to SiliconANGLE about the company’s technologies, capabilities, and how the future is shaping up for the wireless and mobile world..

A new fiber alternative

Q: What is the technology behind AOptix’s wireless solution?

Richards: While AOptix is a wireless product, it has the capability of fiber, which is a technology that’s unusual in the space. We combine two wireless technologies, where the end product is greater than the sum of its parts.

We took millimeter waves and optic waves and patented advanced wavelength technology. Combining them isn’t just a matter of looking at column A and column B and making column C. We actually made an algorithm for the strongest signal capability for fiber optics signal-level reliability. That’s what’s unique about this wireless tech — when you’re talking about trying to build out networks, now you have a wireless opportunity.

We’re helping telecoms, and we’re also helping cities that may need temporary solutions during large events or in disaster areas.

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Q: Why do we need a fiber alternative to data transmission?

Richards: Fiber is reliable but expensive and hard to deploy. You can’t just put it anywhere. When we think about high-capacity connectivity, there are really only a couple options for more than 1GB of data. Fiber goes in the ground (digging, environmentally invasive). In an urban area with a lot of data traffic, there are many instances where you can’t dig up the road. Wireless becomes a preferred alternative, but the traditional solutions — primarily microwaves, millimeter waves and radio waves — all have different issues.

Microwaves are longer and can pass through more things without disintegrating the signal, but it limits capacity. Millimeter waves have a time frequency — limited in distance — and lower reliability. Optic waves — it’s infrared (invisible) — use the air as a transmission medium, but you run into weather affects (dense fog will impact the light). So anything sent through the air has to worry about weather. Any one of these has a weakness. As described above, we took millimeter waves and optic waves and created an advanced wavelength technology.

Intellimax Anova Rooftop unit by AOptix

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Making wireless tech more efficient

Q: What’s happening on the data end to make it more efficient for transfer across wireless tech?

Richards: That’s exactly one of the key things the industry is working feverishly on. Instead of growing and growing, can you make it more efficient? A lot is through compression. Some options are better than others. One challenge is that only certain types of data can be compressed. You can’t count 100 percent on being able to say at all times I can compress this signal 50 percent. You can say that on average, but it actually happens in bursts, depending on the type of traffic.

There’s also spectral efficiency — how you use the spectrum. Can you divide it up in different ways? If you’re using a 5mHz channel, can you use it more efficiently? Can you multiplex? These must happen to keep up with the data deluge.

Connectivity providers must be ready for IoT

Q: How critical is this solution for the IoT arena?

Richards: IoT is driving mass consumption of data, which has to make its way back to the data center. Think of it as water going through pipes. We have all this wearable tech and multiple wireless devices. Now there’s a firehose amount of water going through the size of a kitchen sink pipe. It causes incredible strain on existing network infrastructure.

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Q: What are you doing with existing partners and customers — those currently working on mobile backhaul, specific to M2M or the IoT?

Richards: When we talk to people like AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications and Comcast, they’re panicked. They know this deluge is coming and realize how much impact it will have on their networks. The more connected devices, the more data going back to their networks. We tell them, you need big pipes. We offer those pipes they have no other way to provide. Existing mobile tech can’t handle it. Even from tier 2s; they’re feeling the pain too.

Can the government help?

Q: Are there any benefits to government involvement?

Richards: Such an interesting topic isn’t it? On the one hand, there’s an important role for the government to play in leveling the playing field. But you don’t want to dampen innovation. What’s the right level of involvement? From the frequency perspective, there’s a need to determine what frequencies can be used for what, and everyone can work together.

It’s a delicate balancing act to get the right level of involvement. There’s a point in time when it does limit what you can do from an innovation perspective. But from what companies can do in building a business, that’s why it’s important to be involved early, before those decisions are made. Sometimes a government group doesn’t have all the data.

photo credit: blese via photopin cc