Connections are reshaping how we live, work, and play. What began with simple emails has evolved into a vast, interconnected network capable of delivering broadband speeds of 1 gigabit per second and beyond. We are entering a new era—Gigaworld—where millions will access ultra-fast, stable networks that unlock unprecedented possibilities. Analysts project that the Gigaworld innovation cycle could create a market valued at 250 to 660 billion euros in Europe by 2025. In the coming decade, three sectors stand out: mixed reality, virtual telepresence, and automated living.
In London, Max Doelle, CEO of Kazendi, operates a studio delivering mixed reality solutions using Microsoft Hololens. For a property developer, his team virtualizes data to visualize future site scenarios on Hololens, helping clients understand how a site could look. Hololens lets you place a building model on a tabletop and explore the surrounding infrastructure in detail. However, one constraint is that Hololens is self-contained; all computation happens on the device, which limits the size and number of models that can be displayed without lag. With universal access to gigabit internet, data can be streamed to the device, enabling richer, more expansive experiences.
Our visit to Madrid featured the Philips Hospital to Home program, where a tablet enables patients to share information and communicate with clinicians without leaving home. Dr. Cristina Bescos notes that clinicians can monitor data daily and respond quickly to signs of deterioration, improving efficiency. She adds that such solutions can handle up to a hundred–two hundred patients per day, reducing emergency and admission costs while empowering patients to take charge of their health. This marks just the beginning of a potential healthcare revolution in mobility and wearables, where technology becomes seamlessly integrated into daily life and home environments.
Researchers at the University of Leeds, alongside four other English universities, are pursuing a project to create ‘self-repairing cities’ by 2050. The goal is to minimize street works and save money by deploying robots and drones to perform tasks such as installing cameras on lampposts and fixing potholes. Dr. Raul Fuentes describes a vision of thousands of interconnected robots communicating with a control center or with one another, wired into a broad bandwidth network. He notes that achieving this connectivity hinges on the gigabyte-scale world becoming a reality.
In Brussels, an economist emphasizes that the Gigaworld will be transformative, but speed alone isn’t enough. Public policies and regulations can either accelerate or hinder progress. Gregory Pankert, author of the ADL report, stresses that policymakers should enable innovation without prescribing exact steps, lest they stifle it. If the innovation cycle progresses smoothly, technology can continue to advance in ways we can scarcely imagine.
