It would be great to have a crystal ball to see what the future holds with absolute certainty. This has been a natural curiosity for humans for centuries. It’s also what explains the whole Magic 8-Ball craze that began back in the 1940s and continued to at least some point during a “Full House” episode in the early ‘90s when it was a very minor plot element.
The point is, being clued in about what could be coming along later also applies to many things in life, including internet service expectations and needs. To choose the right provider for your needs, Internet Plans Compare is important.
Realistically, there's no way to know for sure what your internet service may look like in 2030 or somewhere around this point. Nonetheless, some industry experts have weighed in to provide some possibilities and predictions. So, we're going to take our best guess based on what industry insiders have been saying lately and run through what the buzz currently is about the future of internet service. Here we go!
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Noticeably Reducing the Digital Divide
It's not clear if everyone in America will have broadband access by 2030. However, there is a good chance that the digital divide in this nation will at least be greatly reduced. Part of the reason is because of the $65 billion in infrastructure spending that's been allocated for broadband expansion efforts.
There are already efforts by key players in the internet service and tech worlds like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to expand internet access in remote and rural areas. Musk is doing this with the SpaceX-related Starlink project, which uses low-Earth orbiting satellites to provide internet service that's more reliable in underserved areas. Therefore, it's not such a stretch of the imagination to believe this newer approach to delivering satellite internet will also have a big impact on reducing the digital divide by 2030.
In general, industry insiders believe the internet divide will shrink considerably by 2030, but it will still remain to some extent. Part of the reason is because of a lack of economic incentive for some of the top internet providers to serve rural, underserved, and remote areas which could still be a factor by 2030.
Internet Service Prices
Today, the average price for internet service in the United States is almost $65 per month, which is about $25 more than it was in 2011. In reality, this monthly rate is often much higher since it's common for internet service providers to offer bundling options. When additional services are thrown into the mix, it's not unusual for monthly bills to get up past a hundred bucks.
The head of Mushroom Networks, a company that constructs network devices used to supply internet service, expects current prices to remain pretty much the same by 2030. However, other experts offering predictions about internet service prices predict standalone broadband service rates will rise slightly when adjusted for inflation, so this is certainly something to bear in mind when searching for internet providers near me in the near future.
The Director of Operations of KWIC Internet believes pressure put on ISPs will also play a role in keeping internet prices in check in the future. Other internet industry experts believe the Federal Communication Commission may take steps as well to keep internet service rates reasonable and affordable for the average user or household.
Internet Speed
Currently, fiber optic internet is the faster internet speed among other internet types. according to Ookla, the average speed for downloads in the U.S. is 204 Mbps, and for uploads, it's nearly 75 Mbps. Industry insiders are generally split on whether or not internet speed will significantly increase by 2030. Some insiders suggest it will remain about the same due to advances in video compression technology. However, one expert on such things suggests the future may bring the average download speeds up to around 500 Mbps. This differs depending on location, and you can "test my internet speed" to try and understand more about your average download speed.
Jay Akin, the CEO of Mushroom Networks mentioned above, is way more optimistic about internet speed increases. This particular insider foresees a future where internet speeds will be dramatically higher than what's possible today due to things like the widespread rollout and adoption of 5G technology. There's even some early buzz about 6G deployment, which could also result in higher speed capabilities within the next decade or so.
Things aren't so rosy when it comes to the noticeable differences between download and upload speeds, unfortunately. A University of Virginia Professor questioned by allconnect.com thinks there will still be significant lag times between download and upload speeds by the time the ball drops in Times Square and we say hello to 2030.
On a side note, it's possible to get higher download speeds now from certain providers and with certain plans and packages. The caveat here is that availability is oftentimes limited with higher-speed options today.
Internet Speed Expectations in 2030
The FCC is still using 2015 standards for how broadband is defined. The agency's current standards are 25 Mbps for download speeds and 3 Mbps for upload speeds. Even now, these standards are largely considered to be too low to meet the needs of the average internet user, and people are already looking to solutions like the best vpn service for gaming to give them the consistent speeds they are looking for so that they are able to have a smooth experience when gaming, streaming and browsing. We're less than a decade away from 2030 and already it's common for many people to need enough internet speed to handle any combination of the following tasks:
- Virtual conferencing
- Social network interactions
- Casual viewing and browsing
- Online shopping
- Streaming entertainment-based content
- Playing online games
- File sharing
- Online learning
- Remote work
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated its standards for what's required to receive funds for broadband service expansion. The new standards are at least 100 Mbps for downloads and a minimum of 20 Mbps for uploads. Industry insiders report being "cautiously optimistic" about seeing an increase in speed capabilities to handle future demands. In fact, some insiders believe the FCC may adopt the current USDA standards, which could become the new standard by 2030, or maybe even earlier.
As for what the average household will likely need as far as internet speed by the time 2030 rolls around, one expert suggests it will be about 50 megabits per second during particularly busy times of the day with the possibility of occasional 250-300 Mbps bursts.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned above, nobody knows for sure just what the future may hold. However, we were able to give you some pretty good guesses about what internet service could be like by 2030. The consensus is we'll likely see:
• Internet service is available in more areas of the country and the globe
• Prices for internet service remain about the same when adjusted for inflation due to pressure to keep such service affordable
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