W H I T E PA P E R 2 0 2 2

The
Future of
Education in
a 10G World
Table of Contents
3 Introduction

4 Glossary of Terms

5 Education Scenarios

12 Why Does This Matter?

13 What Now?

14 Selected Sources

15 Methodology

16 About: NCTA – The Internet & Television Association

and Future Today Institute

The Future of Education in a 10G World 2

Introduction
High-speed connectivity is help consumers, businesses, and the marketplace prepare
for the coming transformation brought about by 10G. These
on our doorstep, and will scenarios focus on four critical industries: Health Care, Agri-
bring with it the evolution culture & Food, Entertainment, and Education. Each scenario
contemplates the impacts of technologies that are highly
of every industry and con- dependent upon connectivity, such as synthetic media, virtu-
sumer experience. al and augmented reality, wearables, and holograms.

These scenarios are meant to help you, our reader, to re-

Connectivity, beginning with telephones and moving
into the internet age, has rapidly improved for decades. hearse the future. In doing so, individuals and organizations
Today, our lives and livelihoods are shaped by how can begin to anticipate potential outcomes, and how they
quickly we can connect with one another and exchange should prepare. This document will provide you with two
information. The 10G network—delivering speeds of 10 scenarios that take place 10 years from now and describe
gigabits per second—will power the Fourth Industrial the ways in which 10G has helped the industry to evolve.
Revolution, enabling creators to develop life-changing Following the scenarios, a number of potential opportunities
innovations that consumers will be able to use every and threats have been laid out, providing a view into the
day. Every home, industry, and marketplace will be possible strategic impacts of these futures. Finally, a list of
transformed in ways that are difficult to imagine today. strategic questions at the end of the document provides an
initial framework for beginning a strategic dialogue on this
NCTA (The Internet & Television Association) has part- topic. We hope that these scenarios inspire and excite, as
nered with the Future Today Institute to develop scenari- you begin to envision what our world will look like with the
os—data-driven, plausible versions of the future—that will power of 10G connectivity.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 3

Benefits of 10G
in Education

Speed Enables translation in-real-time

10G provides 10 gigabits per second
speeds. This is ten times faster than
today’s connection speeds.

Security Keeps the data of our children safe

Security threats can be identified and
isolated immediately.

Reliability Allows uninterrupted classroom

Constant monitoring and technology adventures in virtual reality
that enables self-healing will ensure the
uninterrupted stability of the network.

Capacity Ensures entire student bodies to

The infrastructure will be able to enjoy experiences in xr
manage an exponential number of
devices compared to today.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 4

Glossary of Terms
10G: The 10G platform is a combination of technologies that will deliver internet speeds 100 times faster than
what most consumers currently experience. 10G also provides faster symmetrical speeds, lower latencies,
enhanced reliability, and better security in a scalable manner.

Augmented Reality: Augmented reality makes digital alterations or additions to the existing environment. This
can happen through the integration of sound, visual elements, or other sensory stimuli that are often interactive.

Hologram: We are defining a hologram in this context as a true three-dimensional image with 360-degree visual
dimensionality and projected into thin air. It can be seen with the naked eye and is created from real-world
images or computer-generated content.

Metaverse: The metaverse is a persistent, immersive, virtual realm that can either be experienced in full
immersion or as a digital overlay onto the physical world. Once realized, the metaverse will be heavily
dependent upon a variety of technologies that are still evolving today, including augmented reality, virtual reality,
spatial audio, and more.

Synthetic Media: Synthetic media refers to algorithmically generated digital content, including audio, video,
deepfakes, virtual characters and environments, and more. Synthetic media can be seen today as voice clones,
realistic-looking videos of real people doing fake things, and even pieces of writing that never had a human
author. Much of the artificial intelligence technology needed for synthetic media exists today, but growing
sophistication of AI will lead to even more convincing content over the next decade.

Virtual Reality: The use of digital technology and simulation that enables a person to interact with an immersive
three-dimensional visual or other sensory environment.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 5

 SCENARIO #1

The Experiential Classroom

In the year 2032, companion in a student’s home that caters to the child’s
individual needs. Ubiquitous high-speed connectivity at low
augmented and virtual latency enables seamless interactions in these educational
ecosystems and makes comprehensive education available
realities send students to for all.
foreign lands, so they can All of this is in contrast to the early 2020s, when COVID-19
witness historical events, forced education online—with mixed results. While some

engage with different students benefited from learning at home because they
could more easily avoid negative encounters, such as
cultures, and explore the bullying or racism, others struggled with unstable family
environments or lack of social interactions. One-on-one
limitless potential of their interaction between students and teachers was also

own creativity—all within limited as educators took on increased responsibilities and

meetings had to be scheduled rather than occurring ad hoc
the learning environment in the classroom. When the pandemic reached its vaccine
turning point, nearly all schools returned to a full-time, in-
of their choice—such as person model, to the relief of many. However, especially in
the family home or in the rural areas, the teacher shortage—already severe before
the pandemic—worsened. The long hours, low pay, and
classroom. emotional pressures made the teaching profession an
unattractive career choice. Schools in sparsely populated
Teachers are supported by digital support staff, whether areas were forced to evaluate alternative approaches
that is a synthetic tutor on a screen or a friendly robot to education.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 6

Meanwhile, the flexibility of a remote lifestyle had enticed
parts of the U.S. population to relocate as their lives were
Virtual reality enabled
no longer dependent on their commute. Some moved to completely immersive
the countryside to have the best of both worlds: a personal
life in nature and a professional life in the city. These
experiences in digital
transplants brought additional tax revenue to their new worlds, while augmented
communities, increasing the financial resources available
to the local schools.1 The federal government, recognizing reality covered our reality
with a digital layer that
enriched our lives in
different ways—through
useful information,
playful elements, or
personalized engagements.
Big technology companies soon lowered the price points of
the hardware needed to access these worlds—VR glasses
and smart glasses—to lock in as many people as possible
to their ecosystems.

that additional means were necessary to provide an While the metaverse’s potential to deeply enrich the
education that enabled the U.S. to stay competitive in a educational experience and make access to learning
world primarily driven by technology, made additional independent of location was now obvious, past efforts to
funds available for the educational sector. Funds came integrate XR technology into schools had been unsuccessful.
from the FCC’s E-Rate program2, in addition to a few other However, this time around the initiative was galvanized
sources. The commission expanded its benefits to not by growing societal adoption of XR environments. This
only include paying for connectivity but also the devices made the production of educational content for these
required for digital applications, such as those needed realities an easy value-add for content providers that had
to access digital realities. As much of life shifted at least a different business focus, such as entertainment. It was
partly into augmented and virtual reality, the commission also a necessary and lucrative expansion of products for
argued that the future workforce needed to be proficient traditional educational textbook manufacturers. On the side
in extended reality (XR) because it would be a necessary of tech giants, providing schools with the necessary devices
skill for entering the workforce. With increased budgets to access digital realities opened up the opportunity to
at their disposal, schools were able to invest into means acquire lifelong customers at an even earlier age. It also
that aided the education of the youth. The accelerated increased their addressable market size by over 50 million3
development of the metaverse saw massive investments in guaranteed users and gave them access to unfathomable
digital environments.This was spurred by the big technology amounts of data that could be monetized through new
companies that saw increased revenue and data harvest or improved products and services. The combination of
opportunities from people spending extended periods of accessible price points, higher financial liquidity of rural
time in digital realities. school districts due to increased federal and state support,
and higher tax earnings enabled them to make the devices
available for students at no cost.
1 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/12/business/economy/small-town-living-
standard.html?searchResultPosition=5
2 https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/universal-service-program-schools-and-
libraries-e-rate
3 https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/school-enrollment.
html#:~:text=K%2D12%20School%20Enrollment,20%25%20from%202000%20to%202009

The Future of Education in a 10G World 7

Today, parents can decide if their children learn remotely
or in person, based on what is most optimal for their
family’s circumstances. For those who prefer to learn at
home, a livestream of the classroom allows them to absorb
the teachings and participate while their robot companion
companion collects and can edit or delete it at any time.
takes the role of a teacher’s aide and keeps them on task.
Artificial intelligence enables the robot companion to A typical activity session begins with students putting on
adjust to the child’s preferred communication style and their VR headsets to practice their Spanish skills. They find
learning method so that understanding and application of themselves in a virtual neighborhood in Barcelona, Gaudi’s
the materials are maximized. Sagrada Familia basilica peeking over the rooftops of
houses in a busy street. Together with their classmates, they
Information about the engage in a treasure hunt, collecting different clues from
avatars they meet: a fish vendor at the farmers market, a
child’s learning progress, child playing soccer on the sidewalk, a juggler trying to
earn a few euro coins from fascinated tourists. These digital
such as penmanship or characters engage in conversation and correct and guide
math proficiency, as well the youngster’s vocabulary along the way.

as behavioral patterns Once back in the classroom, Spanish history comes to

are recorded in real time, life on a 3D screen. Those children who are remote put
on their smart glasses to access the livestream of the
enabling the parents and classroom. One of Spain’s most famous painters, 18th
century artist Francisco Goya, arises from the screen.
the school to make sure the He’s in the middle of painting his latest masterpiece, a

child is progressing and portrait of King Charles III, and the two of them chat about
the latest happenings at court and the country, playfully
issues are addressed as educating their avid listeners about the political and
cultural happenings of their time. Lastly, Goya turns toward
they arise. the students, and challenges them to take up the brush and
get to work themselves, before disappearing with a cheeky
Parents have complete control over the data that the robot wink into thin air.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 8

The students in the classroom now also put on their smart
glasses, and a brush and a palette of bright colors appear This hybrid approach
by their side, a large blank canvas and easel in front
of them.
to learning, enabled by
limitless connectivity with
Within minutes, the first traces of unique masterpieces take
shape. Spanish-speaking digital assistants stand beside the
near-zero latency of 10G
easel and encourage the young artists, playfully building across the country, provides
the children’s vocabulary through conversations. Once
time is up, these digital creations are emailed to family students the best of both
members of choice, as well as printed out to hang up on
the wall or the refrigerator at home.
worlds: emotional support,
attention, and guidance
For homework, the students turn on their screen of choice
and connect with a synthetic tutor. Parents pick the from their teachers, and
personality, look, and feel of the artificially intelligent
synthetic being at the start of each school year, and
inspirational, personalized
it learns over time to optimally respond to the child’s digital tools that inspire
needs—whether in learning style or education level. These
synths are connected, just like the robot companions, to
learning and let students
the school’s educational system and accessible by the learn wherever they prefer.
teacher’s aides, teachers, and parents. Progress and
challenges are analyzed and communicated in daily These measures have increased the educational standard
reports that prompt caretakers and educators to dig across the nation, setting up future generations to
deeper and react when necessary. successfully address the challenges of the world.
 SCENARIO #2

Limitless Learning
College, once a clearly defined phase for some people top universities—whose names automatically opened
after completing high school and associated with doors to lucrative careers—were able to pay back their
“leaving the nest,” has transformed into something much educational loans in a reasonable time span. College
more malleable. acceptance rates, on the other hand, had steadily
decreased at quality schools, making it evermore
In 2032, higher education competitive for the growing pool of graduating seniors
to attend a reputable institution.1,2
takes place anywhere,
anytime, and is accessible Employers’ needs had also changed in multiple ways. For
one, the digitization of work exponentially progressed. The
for most. number of jobs directly related to technology increased,
and even positions not in the technology sector required
Students from all walks of life, different generations, a thorough knowledge of digital tools to execute. These
different cultures, and different socioeconomic developments necessitated a higher degree of education
backgrounds take advantage of learning opportunities for almost everyone in the workforce. Employers were
and connect with each other, redefining social structures. also asking for a broader course curriculum at schools
Associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees have been that included teaching of work skills. Wary of Gen Z,
complemented by certificate-based educational modules for whom frequent job changes were commonplace,
corresponding to the students’ specific interests and needs. employers expected new hires to be ready to go, with
Real-time translations allow an international network of no on-the-job training.
experts to pass on their knowledge to a national audience,
spreading their expertise and accelerating solution-finding
for the largest problems humanity is facing.
1 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/09/a-majority-of-u-s-
In the mid-2020s, higher education had become a dream colleges-admit-most-students-who-apply/ft_19-04-01_collegeadmissions_2/
that fewer and fewer could afford to realize. Costs had 2 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/09/a-majority-of-u-s-
risen to a point where only those attending the country’s colleges-admit-most-students-who-apply/ft_19-04-01_collegeadmissions_1/

The Future of Education in a 10G World 01

 transformed, as people sought to build individualized study
programs that bridged trade, vocational, and traditional
university courses.

Ubiquitous connectivity with

near-zero latency and fast
speeds enabled the schools
to opt for technological
In addition, the rapid evolution of technology made
continuous learning throughout a career, without
solutions such as the
interrupting the work schedule, a must. Many big integration of synthetic
companies were working on upskilling initiatives to enable
their existing workforce to transition through the evolving
media or translations in
knowledge economy. These initiatives were expensive and real time, which allowed
difficult to scale, leaving smaller companies wanting since
they couldn’t afford a custom offering. students to have the
At the same time, there were not enough people in skilled
same learning experience
blue-collar positions, including plumbers, masons, and wherever they were.
electricians. Younger generations sought the recognition
and higher salaries of white-collar professions while More students and ongoing learning needs resulted in
expecting these labor-intensive jobs to be executed by new opportunities to unlock revenue and profit centers,
AI and robots in the near term. Older skilled workers while the costs of onboarding remote students eventually
had retired from the workforce, which created immediate fell. Another incentive for schools to adjust was that new
scarcity and impacted the future of these trades. Available competitors had entered the educational field. Companies
apprenticeships became a rarity. such as Spotify and Meta had begun to offer their own
certificate-based programs that slowly gained recognition
Societal expectations shifted as well. With life expectancy with employers, leading prospective students to venture
longer than ever, many people in their 40s, 50s, and away from traditional learning institutions.
60s decided to change careers. Those who might have
been the parents or grandparents of a traditional student Today, looking into the lecture hall of a college or the
showed new interest in upskilling or learning entirely new classroom of a vocational school initially reveals an image
fields as a way to earn additional income. Later-learners not too different from a decade ago: students settling
took advantage of remote learning, which had gained into their seats, pulling out their laptops, and putting on
momentum throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They their headsets. The guest lecturer, a renowned expert in
expected on-demand upskilling training to be accessible her field, is beginning to speak. However, upon closer
from anywhere. inspection, not much resembles the learning experience
from 10 years ago. The lecturer is delivering her talk in
Educational institutions responded to the pressures Korean, her native language, and everything she says is
and rethought their approach. Course curricula expanded, being recorded by a camera in front of her. Those students
with schools going beyond credentialing traditional two- not fluent in Korean can enable a livestream of the lecture
year, four-year, and graduate degrees to offer certificates on their screen. Thanks to synthetic media, which allows
focused on specific topics. The on-campus experience for translations in real time and adjustments of the lip
continued to exist but was supplemented by fully movements of the lecturer on the screen, she is seemingly
remote access options. Vocational schools equally holding the lecture in the language of the student’s choice.
made their offerings available remotely. Education

The Future of Education in a 10G World 11

Harnessing contextual awareness and natural language These new learning structures enable students to make
generation, the students’ intelligent conversational interface connections that span different generations, socioeconomic
automatically listens for and displays helpful hints in real- backgrounds, and locations. The breadth and depth of
time. It spells out acronyms, shows biographical details experiences that these new student bodies now share
and photos, retrieves academic papers and case law, and brings about a more holistic, empathetic mindset, and
anything else relevant to learning in the moment. That digital contribute to strong, respectful relations across the entire
assistant also has access to their field of study, desired political spectrum.
educational goals, search history, purchased books and
materials needed for work, attended lectures, and whatever After the U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked lawmakers
else a student would wish to share. Based on that data, the to fund rapid upskilling programs to connect people with
AI customizes the information appearing on the student’s jobs in new sectors, trade unions and universities alike
screen for each lecture. Students attending remotely have lobbied for a different approach to education. Public-
access to the same tools. private partnerships exist to provide upskilling for free, or
at affordable costs.3 Students enter the workforce with all
Support for students outside of the lectures themselves the skills they need to not only succeed, but they are also
has expanded and is organized nationwide, completely able to address humanity’s most urgent problems swiftly,
independent of location. Synthetic media assistants have efficiently, and with the necessary resources.
stepped in to support the teacher and her aides. These
synths are accessible in two ways. Students can click on
a button on their screens, and the synth is activated and
10G connectivity, with its
gives personalized support, answers questions, or provides ability to transport large
complementary information to the learning materials. They
also coach weekly study groups: These small groups, made amounts of data with
up of six to eight students, are curated from students all over
the nation. During these sessions, the synth guides the group
practically near-zero latency,
in discussions relating to the most recent lecture, challenges provides the necessary
assumptions, and ensures that the gained knowledge is
being applied in different contexts. The synth is able to infrastructure to use the
react to the students in real time and make behavioral
adjustments to stimulate their thinking and maximize their
technologies needed to
learning of the material. make this kind of education
3 https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/13/us-chamber-fund-training-
available for all.
programs-458412
Why Does This Matter?

OPPORTUNITIES

Products and services around

re-creating the college experience—such
as communal housing, cafeterias, or
T H R E AT S
education-related social space—online
as well as offline could represent new
business opportunities. Educational institutions must constantly
look for the inflection point of new
If wider parts of the population are accessing higher
education remotely, it will have a significant impact on
developments, in order to effectively
the experience of some of the most formative years in a prepare today’s students to become
person’s life. The desire for friendship, community, and the workforce that must solve
the need for independence will stay the same, but new
ways will have to be found for adolescents to mature into
tomorrow’s challenges.
sovereign adults.
If schools don’t adjust their structures and processes
to enable the necessary foresight and the flexibility
The marketplace—including students—demands more
to shift quickly, the U.S. could run the risk of losing
flexibility in education, ranging from what is being offered
global competitiveness.
(more variety in course offerings and certifications to
assist in upskilling) to how (remote or in-person). New
As the population relies more on technology
players might be able to offer know-how that has never
for education and information, it is increasingly
been considered in more traditional settings, whether for
important to ensure that the information presented
blue-collar or white-collar professions. Another lucrative
is based on fact. With the rise of synthetic media,
option could be providing specialized upskilling options
fake news and fraudulent information will be more
for existing professionals.
prevalent than ever, and AI tools need to be able to
differentiate a good source from a harmful one.
Technology can enrich and expand education for all of
our youth, independent of socioeconomic background.
Human interaction, such as with a teacher, mentor,
This could be a significant antidote to a widening of
or classmate, is an indispensable part of education.
the wealth gap and social unrest, and provide more
It is crucial to view technology as a means to
opportunities for those demographics that have been
complement human interaction and enable
disadvantaged in the past. The resulting increase in
educational professionals to spend more time with
upward mobility could lead to expanded or new markets.
students, not as a replacement.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 13

What Now?
Strategic questions for stakeholders in education:

1
Could you turn existing expertise in your company into a valuable learning
module or certified training course for nonemployees?

2 What new liabilities arise if your company offers learning materials in digital realities?

3
How would a shift of control over generated data from your company to
educational institutions and parents impact your business model?

4
How can you provide customized options for students using your products
and services, and therefore increase your market size?

5
What would additional data that digital education generates mean
for the product offering of your company?

6 What nontraditional collaborators could help you bring new educational experiences to life?

7
A more flexible educational system needs new administrative processes.
Can your company provide solutions that streamline services?

8
What experiential learning methods currently being tested could be
improved through the use of new technology solutions?

9
Are there environmental concerns (CO2 usage, recycling, battery toxicity)
that you need to keep in mind as you develop new products and services?

10
What is required of the space in which a person engages with your product,
and can you create adjacent offerings to ensure safe usage?

The Future of Education in a 10G World 14

Selected Sources
Boyd, John. “Hologram-in-a-Box Can Teleport You Anywhere.” IEEE Spectrum, 30 October 2021,
https://spectrum.ieee.org/hologram-booth.

Chen, Huili, et al. HRI ‘20: Proceedings of the 2020 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot
Interaction March 2020 Pages 389–397. https://doi.org/10.1145/3319502.3374822.

Chowdhury, Tahiya. “The Other Side of Black Screen: Rethinking Interaction in Synchronous Remote
Learning for Collaborative Programming.” 11 November 2021, arXiv:2111.06013 [cs.CY].

Curran, Chris. “Art Illuminates the Beauty of Science—and Could Inspire the Next Generation of Scientists
Young and Old.” The Conversation, 23 November 2021, https://theconversation.com/art-illuminates-the-
beauty-of-science-and-could-inspire-the-next-generation-of-scientists-young-and-old-168925.

Levit, Alexandra. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Inspiration at Work. “The Future of Education.”
Discussion. 13 January 2022, www.inspirationatwork.net.

Milgram-Elcott, Talia. Founder, 100kin10. “The Future of Education.” Discussion. 13 January 2022,
https://100kin10.org.

Naffi, Nadiaet et al. “AI-powered Chatbots, Designed Ethically, Can Support High-quality University
Teaching.” Phys.org, 3 January 2022, https://phys.org/news/2022-01-ai-powered-chatbots-ethically-high-
quality-university.html.

Pengel, Norbert, et al. “TecCoBot: Technology-aided Support for Self-regulated Learning.” 23 November
2021, arXiv:2111.11881 [cs.CY].

Spence, Rhys. “The Unbundling of Professional Learning and Entrepreneurship Education.” TechCrunch,
30 November 2021, https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/30/the-unbundling-of-professional-learning-and-
entrepreneurship-education/.

Whitman-Salkin, Sarah. Social Worker, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow. “The Future of Education.”
Discussion. 13 January 2022, https://obtjobs.org.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 15

Methodology
Scenarios are narrative snapshots describing possible predict the future. They reduce uncertainty so that better
futures. Scenarios are strategic tools designed to catalyze decisions can be made in the present. Done well, scenarios
what-if conversations. They require teams to confront their inform what actions must be taken to shape the future. The
cherished beliefs, develop shared visions, and sharpen Future Today Institute’s scenario modeling process relies on
their focus, and refine their expectations. Scenarios do not many rounds of research, analysis, and writing.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 16

About
About NCTA About Future Today Institute
The Internet & Television Association represents network Founded in 2006, the Future Today Institute researches,
innovators and content creators that connect, entertain, models, and prototypes growth, innovation, and strate-
inform and inspire consumers every day. NCTA’s mem- gic opportunity. As the leading strategic foresight and
bers have invested $300 billion in private capital to build futures management consultants to executive leadership
the world’s most powerful technology platform, reaching teams worldwide, FTI’s data-driven applied research
80 percent of American homes and serving 76 million finds inflections and disruptive potential early. FTI po-
customers. More than 200 programming networks are sitions leaders to define big bets, backcast roadmaps
creating imaginative, popular, and award-winning tele- to present-day action, and achieve their visions of the
vision content. Our industry supports 3 million American future. Every year, the Future Today Institute works with a
jobs and employs at least 300 people in every congres- diverse mix of organizations on their futures. Our clients
sional district. include Fortune 100 companies, Dow 30 companies, gov-
ernment agencies, military communities, large organiza-
tions, and investors both in the U.S. and abroad.

The Future of Education in a 10G World 17