Laying the groundwork for new mobile infrastructure is extremely complex, expensive and debatable, as seen with the 'not so efficient' rollout of the 4G network. Also calls from mobile phones are transmitted through a station tower, but if numerous users in a single location call at the same time, the connection speed diminishes.
What if towering base station transmitters were no longer a part of this set up and instead, the wireless network was connected by humans? This is definitely not a 'sci-fi' bio-technology experiment of integrating chips into the human body; instead it proposes small sensors being carried by members of the public through devices such as next-generation Smartphones which could communicate with each other.
This possibility is being worked upon, as a study at Queen's Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) in Belfast, Ireland.
According to the study, these sensors will transmit data between each other and this connection would create a potential body-to-body network (BBN), allowing for far lower power requirements than the conventional antenna, while creating broader coverage, and the ability to adapt to varying demands.
The sensors might not be limited to advanced smartphones only. Researchers from Queen's Institute suggest tiny sensors could be embedded in clothes or cars.
A 'body-to-body' network will create a stronger connection as each participant would transmit its signal to another nearby carrier, then to the next until it reaches the intended final destination.
According to Cotton, a researcher from ECIT's wireless communications research group, "Until now, however, little work has been done to address the next major challenge, which is one of the last frontiers in wireless communication: how that information can be transferred efficiently to an off-body location." With redesigned antennas, low-power radios, and new network protocols, colossal and dynamic body networks could create an 'ultra-high-bandwidth mobile infrastructure'. Such networks will enable large file transfers from cellular networks, by making use of parallel transmission and routing through a mesh of body nodes. The body node could even be linked to fixed access points, gateways, or cellular networks.
Body-to-body networks could bring great social benefits, he added, including healthcare improvements through the use of body-worn sensors. "It will provide a number of key benefits compared to cellular networks alone such as in disaster situations where cellular infrastructure has become damaged or is unavailable, body-to-body networks could help provide networking for relief workers and civilians," he explained. It could also be utilized in monitoring athletes or provide real-time tactical training in team sports.
"It promotes the concept of 'green spectrum' whereby we can re-use frequency allocations over much shorter distances, meaning that the precious resource of radio spectrum is utilised much more fully." says Cotton. Another new mile stone in network efficacy indeed.