One of the coolest things about working in the telecom industry -- besides managing the connectivity and innovations that transform lives -- is the science behind the technologies.
At Mobile World Congress, Light Reading took a break from all the 5G tech madness to understand a concept with a science slant and one that could serve as the basis for the most exciting innovations in tech going forward.
Graphene is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in an hexagonal lattice. It is the strongest material known to man, while also being super light, transparent and conductive -- and also affordable. It is the basic structural element of graphite, diamond and charcoal. In telecom, it could be used for flexible phones, batteries with longer lifespans and even all-graphene optical links that will help bring down power consumption and increase speeds for 5G networks.
Light Reading's Dan Allen took a tour of the Graphene Pavilion, where several men with cool names and even cooler accents showed him how graphene will be used in the telecom industry for smartphones and more. Check out the video to learn about this exciting material.— Sarah Thomas, Contributing Editor, Telco Transformation