Unlocking GIGAWorld Innovation

Robot-assisted remote tele-surgery, 3D holographic projections of sports events and skyscraper windows maintained by drone-robot are among the tantalizing possibilities that will arise with the emergence of the GIGAWorld, according to a report published today by leading consultancy firm, Arthur D. Little (ADL).

The report, commissioned by Liberty Global, estimates that, under the right circumstances, the GIGAWorld innovation cycle will unlock a market valued at between €250-660 billion per year by 2025 in Europe. At the global level, the value is expected to be €1.3-3.5 trillion per year.

Gregory Pankert, Partner, Arthur D. Little, said: “After 30 years of the Internet, we are entering a new era. The third industrial revolution leveraged the development of electronics, IT and automated production. The ongoing fourth industrial revolution is driven by cyber-physical systems and fuelling a wave of technological innovation that fundamentally alters the nature of digital applications.”

According to the report, three major families of “GIGAapps” will maximize the opportunities that a GIGAWorld presents:

• Augmented Discovery is the advanced understanding of, and interaction with, an environment through a blend of digital content with the physical world, e.g. the broadcasting of holographic sports events or an augmented teaching session. By 2025, Augmented Discovery is expected to generate revenues estimated at between €80 and 175 billion per year in Europe.
• Virtual Telepresence focuses on overcoming physical or geographic boundaries or immersive presence in artificial environments, for example, a seamless retail experience or virtual social interaction. By 2025, Virtual Telepresence is estimated to create revenues of €20-60 billion per year in Europe.
• Automated Living is the delegation of human decision-making and task execution to technology and appliances, e.g. agriculture supervision by drones or patient health tele-monitoring. By 2025, this market in Europe is estimated to reach €150-425 billion of revenue per year.

The usage and smooth functioning of these apps will rely on high quality networks, which will need to provide key service features such as high bandwidth, low latency, high reliability, high security, high resilience, widespread coverage and position accuracy. This makes GIGAWorld—Liberty Global’s investment in fiber-rich high speed data networks–ever more crucial to society’s success in the evolving digital age. 

Liberty Global Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Manuel Kohnstamm, said: “This report clearly highlights the massive economic benefits and technological advancements that await us if we embrace GIGAWorld. Networks are an essential foundation of such an exciting future, and Liberty Global’s investments, expansions and upgrades are making it possible. Society will benefit if businesses and governments and regulators collaborate to help drive the next innovation cycle, enable the use of GIGAapps and unlock new value.”