The news that 900 megabytes per second internet speeds have been achieved in the UAE sounds, at first blush, like something straight out of science fiction. At that speed, a full-length high definition film can be downloaded in less time than it takes to read this sentence. Such mind-boggling computer capacities almost seem excessive.
But one need only look into the recent past to remember how similarly unimaginable technology advances of yesteryear are now commonplace or even considered quaintly out of date. Those of us of a certain age can remember our excitement when Apple introduced a computer with, what was at the time, a jaw-droppingly massive 20mb hard drive.
Now, of course, that’s barely enough for a couple of smartphone selfies, which is a reminder that each leap forward in technology leads to new uses that quickly become essential, leading us to wonder how we ever lived without them. This in turn shows the need for the UAE to always be looking forward and future-proofing its infrastructure. In an increasingly digital world, having world-fastest speeds will help attract industries to base themselves here in a tax-free and business-friendly environment.
What breakthroughs will come from 900mbs internet speeds? The really exciting thing is that we don’t yet know.
