Facebook recently set what it claims is a world record for transmitting intercontinental data, continuing a trend where the Web’s biggest names are advancing the future of the Internet.
As Wired reports, the social media platform used hardware designed by Bell Labs researchers to run the tests across optical fiber it owns inside a transatlantic cable called America Europe Connect, which runs from New York all the way to Ireland.
Facebook and Google in particular have been moving in this direction, writes Cade Metz, because making such advances is the only way to keep growing at such a rapid pace, to better serve marketers (and make sure they snare more marketing budget dollars, of course).
“When they outgrew the computers and other data center hardware that served up their services, they built their own,” Metz wrote. “Once they saturated online markets in the developed world, they started building high-altitude balloons, drones, and wireless antennas to make the Internet accessible in entirely new locations. And as they pushed more and more data across the globe, they started investing in their own intercontinental cables.”
The ability to push larger amounts of data will only increase as Facebook—and the marketers who utilize it—continue to use more and more video, virtual reality (VR) and other emerging technologies.
Marketers on both the B2C and B2B side of the fence are testing VR, which will undoubtedly become a bigger force on Facebook in the future. Aqua Pharmaceuticals recently debuted a VR initiative putting dermatologists into the skin of their acne-scarred teenage patients. And, Audi is using virtual reality to give potential customers the experience of driving the new Audi Q5 around a virtual sandpit track they can design themselves.
“It’s at this crucial moment where virtual reality can help your product stand out. With virtual reality, your customers can see your product up close and personal to see exactly why it’s superior. It’s like a trade show, a site visit, and a marketing presentation rolled into one,” says Matthias McCoy-Thompson, COO, Agora VR.
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