As the most important city in the UK, it’s only natural that the largest efforts towards internet availability would take place within London’s borders. With both fibre and 5G rollout far more common here than anywhere else on the British Isles, the opportunities now possible far exceed anything that came before. Understanding what this means for the average user can be tricky, however, with technical jargon often acting as a gatekeeper. With this in mind, we thought we’d use the games of online slots as a measuring stick, to see just how much or how little Londoners could notice the change.
Why Focus on Slots?
The main reason why we’ve selected online slots as a focus is that it represents a strong example of general internet use. Take playing a game like the Rainbow Riches slot as an example. Accessing this title means browsing to sign up, navigating using a desktop or mobile access, and finally playing the game itself. Bolstered by chat rooms and modern functionality, getting involved on this front means taking a cross-section of common internet use. In other words, if online slots work, then most other general uses will too.
The New Standard
Without going too far into the technical details, the most important thing that readers need to know about newer connection technology like 5G and fibre is that they have increased bandwidth and lower latency. Increased bandwidth means that more data can move through your device and the internet at one time, meaning faster downloads for files and less buffering for high-quality video. Latency refers to the delay between the time a user presses a button and the website recognises this press. Lower latency means faster responses, and a better feeling experience all around, as Forbes explains.
With fibre in London now covering enormous ground, and 5G now even finding its way underground as announced by Mayor Sadiq Khan, higher speeds are now rapidly becoming the rule rather than the exception. As for whether the average person will notice the difference, that’s another question entirely. In common uses, like our slots example, no major changes will be apparent from these new systems.
In browsing websites like those with online slots, new speeds aren’t likely to be appreciated by the vast majority of users. The same can be said for playing the games, which are small enough to load practically instantly not just on 4G, but even some 3G-level connections. Even some of the more demanding common uses like HD movie streaming isn’t going to see many advantages with new systems, so what’s the point?
Safeguarding the Future
Ultimately, the reason that London’s leaning so hard into new connection technologies is to get ahead of the curve. Sure, most uses like playing slot games or movies aren’t likely to change much, unless your router is used by many people simultaneously, but this won’t apply evenly to every possible use.
The basic idea here is that the last 20 years have been getting more data-centric than ever before, and this trend isn’t going to end any time soon. By moving to faster systems, games like slots and the general use around this system should remain mostly the same, but outlying uses could change significantly.
Users and businesses with huge data budgets could see massive increases in efficiency, and the trickle-down effect of this could be profound in terms of economics and convenience. And who knows, with the potential for VR in uses like browsing and slot gaming, maybe the average person could soon put faster internet to use too.
