From Telit: "How Faster Cellular Broadband is Enabling SD-WAN Corporate Networking"

As we become more dependent on data and cloud-based file-sharing, having an immediate connection with business resources is crucial for customers and employees alike. Recently, broadband technology has made significant breakthroughs in reaching 5G broadband speeds. 5G speeds are lightning-fast and will help software defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) transform corporate networking operations at dedicated offices and work sites.

The Role of SD-WAN and Corporate Networking Over the Next Few Years

A company’s corporate network is composed of all the connected computers, mobile devices, servers, and hardware that receive and transmit critical data between users within a secure framework. The more information a business shares, the higher the broadband capacity needed to safely respond and enable data storage and transmission.

Imagine the network necessary to control everything from asset tracking and supply chain management to utilities and surveillance from an Android or iPhone without compromising speed, data, or signal strength. In the coming years expect more remote monitoring business solutions, as more than 30 billion devices will connect through Internet of Things (IoT) technology by 2020 – six billion of those devices being smart phones.

Though it is an intimidating challenge, IoT frameworks operating on robust SD-WAN networks will be more capable of making reliable connections and enabling speeds necessary for multiple business operations.

Why SD-WAN?

Technology grows fast, and it’s important to understand networking so that corporations are able to adapt to the coming changes. 5G approaches, and the more equipped a network is to transfer large data sets at breakneck 1 Gigabit per second (1 Gbps) speeds, the better.

Competing multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) networks can struggle to scale up bandwidth and resilience to meet the demands of the increasingly popular high-bandwidth office applications. More businesses than ever rely on an SD-WAN network to not only relay spreadsheets and customer data, but also to stream music, video, instant messaging, and social media information in their daily operations.

SD-WAN benefits include:

• Enhanced visibility, scalability, performance, and control
• More connectivity options across geographic boundaries and underground networks
• No bandwidth penalties
• No necessary changes to network infrastructure
• Upgradability through links
• Cost-effectiveness
• Enhanced security and network-wide encryption

With 1 Gbps download and 150Mbps upload speeds available over the cellular network right now, it is entirely possible to envision SD-WAN solutions based on a blend of cellular data products either replacing or being used in addition to MPLS across corporate data centers, branch offices, store branches, and other corporate sites.

The 5G Path to a Faster Future

Recent innovations in Long Term Evolution (LTE) network transport technology have made it possible to reach speeds over 1 Gbps. Gigabit LTE technology works with existing SD-WAN frameworks and helps users in a myriad of ways. Imagine being able to stream a high-definition video presentation in real-time, securely uploading a decade’s worth of financial data in minutes to a new client or monitor and control smart grid solutions for several worksites at once. The speed is here. Expect competition to focus on faster solutions for bolstering productivity.

Modules like Telit’s antenna-driven LM960 Gigabit Class LET Cat 18 Data card receives and transmits speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps, with 5-band fallback to 3G designed for easy integration and installation within existing SD-WAN corporate networks. This technology will be critical in helping businesses extend their 5G capabilities and stay competitive, while keeping deployment costs to a minimum.

Source: https://www.telit.com/blog/faster-cellular-broadband-for-sdwan-corporate-networking/