It seems that looking into a crystal ball to see visions may become a reality. Or at least you will be able to look at your phone to see your relative who is currently abroad magically appear sitting in your living room.

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone have conducted a pilot with Matsuko, a start-up that has developed a holographic calling app that works on smartphones and tablets.

During a video call using the app, the live 3D image of your cousin in Australia is blended into the image of your living room as captured by your phone’s camera.

Telefonica has also partnered with chip firm Qualcomm to build extended reality hardware and collaborate on the development of metaverse applications.

Such virtual world applications depend on reliable, high bandwidth communication systems.

PTT’s online courses and study programmes provide an immersive experience for technicians and engineers to ensure they have a solid foundation of skills and knowledge needed to maintain those systems and are prepared for new horizons.

Mobile devices are now so prolific it is hard to imagine our lives without them. We are used to always being connected to the outside world so it can be a strange feeling when you end up in an area with no signal. This is especially worrying when an emergency arises.

Some technology companies are attempting to solve these issues. For example, Apple’s new iPhone will provide limited satellite communications. In emergency situations, users will be able to connect to a Globalstar satellite and send compressed, short messages to emergency services and other contacts. This information can include the coordinates of the device in case the user requires rescue.

US-based mobile operator T-Mobile have taken another approach by teaming up with SpaceX, whose next generation of Starlink satellites will include antennas that will provide a wireless signal using the existing mobile spectrum. This means that end-users will not be limited to a specific phone and can continue to use their existing devices. While the bandwidth offered by this service will be far lower than that provided by ground-based antennas, users should be able to send text messages to their contacts no matter how remote their location.

Of course, neither of these solutions replaces more traditional methods of mobile communications, which now provide the higher bandwidth and low-latency communications that consumers demand. However, they will certainly be reassuring in an emergency.

Mobile operators will also continue to expand their existing networks as wide as possible as well, not least because it is far cheaper to build a mobile base station than it is to launch a rocket filled with satellites into space.

For a more grounded introduction, PTT has a range of courses covering mobile and wireless networks such as "Wireless communications", "Introduction to mobile systems" and "Mobile radio communications". These courses are ideal for those joining the industry in a technical role who require a comprehensive introduction to the technologies, standards and infrastructure involved in mobile radio provision.

5G mobile provision offer many benefits over 4G including higher speeds and lower latency, a basic requirement for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services. Demands on mobile resources are forecast to significantly increase with the growth in massive machine type communications (mMTC) with applications including automated guided vehicles, remote surgery, and robotic factories.

Yet there are several barriers to the expansion of 5G services especially in suburban and rural areas. The highest speeds are achieved with small cells so requiring more base stations. And these must be served by high speed, low latency backhaul connections to the mobile operator’s core network, with optical fibre the obvious candidate.

It has been estimated that around 6 million small cell sites are required to cover 5G across the EU with around 12 million additional fibres needed to serve those cells.

With civil works contributing around 80% of the cost of fibre deployment, there is an economic case for sharing the infrastructure of operators that provide fibre to the home (FTTH) services. The use of the latest types of passive optical network such as XGS-PON, 25G PON or NG-PON2 makes this backhaul solution more viable.

So, it can be argued that the spread of 5G services is tied to the expansion of fibre broadband with co-operation between their providers being beneficial to both.

Want to learn more about mobile and FTTH service provision or have staff requiring upskilling: PTT courses such as “Next generation access networks”, “Introduction to mobile systems” and “Mobile radio communications” provide a proven, cost-effective solution.