Fibre or 5G? Convergence may be the real superhero

Fibre brings stability and 5G adds reach, but convergence offers enterprises the most resilient path to future-ready connectivity.

- BY PRATIMA HARIGUNANI

Superman flies at astonishing speeds across the sky and has X-ray vision. Spiderman, by contrast, spins webs from his wrists but manoeuvres deftly across any landscape. Superman can hear sounds from miles away in space. Spiderman is no less powerful, with his 'spidey-sense'. Both save the day and sometimes a stranded cat on the 40th floor. Each has a weakness too - Kryptonite or ethyl chloride, a red sun or water.

Preferences often depend on whether we live in a DC or Marvel universe. Choosing between them is not easy. A similar dilemma confronts enterprises today: whether to rely on 5G or fibre for connectivity. Spectrum or physical networks - both bring superhero-like strengths. The way forward, experts argue, may lie in convergence, where 5G's reach is reinforced by fibre's reliability, with each technology leveraged for its unique advantage.

John Strand, CEO of Strand Consult, frames the debate in enterprise terms. "What we are talking about is fibre vs. 5G MBB vs. 5G FWA. The question is which infrastructure can service corporate or enterprise customers best. Different customers have different needs. In some areas, fibre competes with 5G. In others, fibre supplements 5G. In many cases, they will coexist side by side."

Before considering convergence, it is worth weighing their strengths separately.

5G: THE SKY HERO OF CONNECTIVITY

In terms of scalability and reach, 5G is often the first Spectrum-based solutions such as 4G and 5G private networks offer flexibility for mobile or remote devices across industrial sites, according to Sachin Arora, Head of Connectivity and IoT at Giesecke+Devrient, India.