The term bandwidth is much misunderstood. It is used loosely without understanding it fully. The term, bandwith indicates the amount of data that can be transferred between two devices. Many a times users opt for greater bandwidths, but end up using a minuscule portion of the available bandwidth. It is important for users to optimize the use of the available bandwidth. Else, much of it will be wasted.
Understanding how bandwidth us can be optimized
However, at the same time when a lot of available bandwidth is being wasted, many other people complain of being unable to access bandwidth. Typically, people do not have problems gaining access to bandwidth speeds but fail to obtain access to bandwidth. This is because the bandwidth is provided through an ISP. The ISP has the power to restrict the access to bandwidth. Indeed, the ISP can even reduce available speeds. This creates artificial limits on the availability of bandwidth. Many countries including China and the US control the amount of available bandwidth and the available speeds. With the imminent coming of the Metaverse and HD streaming this kind of control by the government might not be sustainable.
So, how does one get around the problem? Blockchain technology holds the promise of providing a viable solution. With blockchain, it is possible to have a decentralized ISP. Such an arrangement will enable users to be rid of any web controls and use their bandwidth fully. Additionally, they will be able to monetize the unused portion of the bandwidth available with them. It will also enable the enlargement of internet access.
The good news is that decentralized bandwidth is already here. Users can already tokenize their bandwidth. They can them make it available on the marketplace. This is going to encourage an economical means of access to the internet. PKT is a layer-1 blockchain that currently supports bandwidth trading. In this system, users who have unused bandwidth get PKT cash for their excess bandwidth that they put on the marketplace. This is also being used to develop more use cases such as bandwidth sharing. PKT is totally decentralized with a focus on making optimal use of excess bandwidth.
