Semiconductors make the information age possible, and one of the first industries to use them was telecommunications. Semiconductors allow vast amounts of data to be exchanged at incredible speeds, and they have revolutionized communications. Here are three of the ways semiconductors are used by telecoms to keep the modern world moving.
1- Semiconductors Are Used to Increase Speed and Improve Efficiency
Streaming speeds that allow us to watch high-definition movies on phones and laptops are made possible by semiconductors in transistors and circuits. These devices process, modulate, and amplify signals with incredible precision, which allows information to be transmitted anywhere with virtually no distortion or loss in quality. Components with semiconductors have changed the way data is processed and transmitted, and those changes allow vast global networks to connect seamlessly. The ability to transfer massive amounts of data with ultra-low latency has allowed telecoms to pursue new technologies like fiber optic networks and 5G. Without semiconductors, none of this would be possible.
2- Semiconductors Are Used to Make Telecommunications Devices Smaller
There was a time when a telecommunications facility was as large and imposing as a power station or processing plant, and that was when nobody had a computer or cellphone. Even if it was possible to process and transmit enormous amounts of data without semiconductors, the infrastructure needed to support such a system would be a network of enormous and prohibitively expensive buildings. Semiconductors have allowed telecoms to miniaturize telecommunications devices, which has led to much smaller switches, routers, and base stations. Despite being smaller, these semiconductor-based devices are more powerful. The combined benefits of smaller size and greater power have allowed telecoms to develop infrastructure that is inexpensive to build and maintain. A 5G tower costs about $250,000 to build, but it can handle demands that would have once required an entire building full of people and machines.
Semiconductors also process and transmit signals after they reach the consumer. Semiconductors in computers, smartphones, electronic watches, and fitness trackers provide wireless connectivity, and semiconductors in household appliances and digital home assistants create the Internet of Things.
3- Semiconductors Are Used to Conserve Power
Semiconductors are extremely efficient, which means they can process and transmit large amounts of data while consuming very little power. Semiconductors allow telecoms to manage more data, and they also reduce their energy needs. This lowers costs for telecoms and prices for end users. Telecoms increase efficiency even further with advanced energy management processes like power grating and dynamic voltage scaling, which both rely on semiconductors. Semiconductors are used by telecoms to allocate and distribute power and minimize energy waste, which lowers costs and improves system performance.
Enabling the Information Age
The devices we use every day to make our lives easier and more productive only work because of semiconductors. The semiconductors in our devices, and the semiconductors in the telecommunications network that processes and sends data to our devices. Semiconductors have revolutionized the telecommunications industry because they are small, efficient, and precise, and they will enable even greater advances in the future.
