When it comes to smartphones, speed and connectivity is generally referenced by generation. For example, the industry is currently focused on creating 5G networks.

However, in the cable industry the G refers to gigabits. Over the past two years, this industry has expanded the availability of 1 gigabit broadband Internet from 4 percent to 80 percent of U.S. households. Now that the foundation for gigabit expansion exists, the cable industry is looking to increase speeds by tenfold and make it accessible to more homes and businesses globally.

The new focus is on 10G technology, which also is expected to reduce transfer latency, provide greater security and enhance the ability to host a wide range of immersive skills and applications – even those that haven’t been conceived yet. Internet service providers (ISP) are currently preparing the infrastructure necessary to enable a seamless and secure 10G online experience for computers.

A Bit Versus a Byte

What might not be clear to consumers is the difference between a gigabit and gigabyte, also known as a bit and a byte. A bit refers to the rate of transferring data: 1 gigabit transmits 1 billion bits per second. Even 1 gigabit represents extremely fast bandwidth that, for user purposes, means no log time when streaming video, downloading music or playing video and virtual reality games,

For example, 1 gigabit can download an entire two-hour HD movie in less than 60 seconds. It also offers the bandwidth to enable multiple downloads simultaneously and allow multiple users to surf and interact on the internet at the same time on various devices.

In contrast, a byte is the measurement for storage available on a computing device. The data itself is measured in bytes, and bytes are delivered in single bits at a time. For reference, 1 gigabyte of memory holds about 312 MP3 songs or 535 e-books.

Therefore, to maximize both storage and speed, it’s important to have a high capacity to store data (bytes) and impressive speed (bits) so that vast amounts of data can transmit quickly.

Small Business Benefits

While larger companies have dozens to hundreds of employees with a wide range of job responsibilities, many small businesses tend to be focused on a just a few. And those few can be significantly impacted by a lagging network. For this reason, deploying faster computer speed can make a big difference in the time it takes to search data, retrieve records, run point-of-sale systems and transmit financial transactions. Even the most basic mom and pop shops will benefit from this enhancement of speed and storage capacity.

For professional services firms, where time is indeed measured by money, 10G has the potential to revolutionize their business model by reducing expenses, enhancing the customer service experience and maximizing staff productivity.

10G, which has been described as the next great leap for broadband, is not an insular achievement. It is part of a larger cable broadband technology platform designed to process exponentially more data from more devices at 10 times the speed of what we expect today. Combined with enhanced reliability and security features, 10G is projected to launch a myriad of new immersive technologies and digital experiences that will revolutionize the way businesses are run.