In 2016, four percent of cable networks were offering 1 gigabit service. Today, that number is up to 80 percent.

That’s just one stat that illustrates how quickly information technology is evolving. And when you’ve got that kind of perspective, the introduction of 10G networks hardly seems ambitious. In fact, it seems like an innovation that’s long overdue.

And “overdue” really is the right word to use here, as our internet traffic demands are surging at a staggering rate. In fact, by 2022, a whopping 28 billion devices are projected to be online streaming video, playing games, browsing and the like. Or, in other words, global Internet traffic in 2022 is expected to be greater than all Internet traffic from when the Internet was first created back in 1984 all the way through 2016.

This is where 10G networks come into play.

For those not in the know, 10G stands for 10 gigabits, and it’s 10 times faster than most modern networks. To clear up any potential confusion, 5G, which you’ve likely heard your mobile provider mention, stands for “5th Generation” and doesn’t connote a particular rate or speed.

While mobile providers are betting big on 5G, the two networks don’t really need to be in competition. In fact, if the market works as it should, they might even benefit each other.

At the end of the day, we’re going to need a faster network to meet our Internet needs. 10G could be the answer that not only meets the demand, but also empowers creators to develop new innovations that we can use every day—from AR and VR communication to enhanced streaming and even improved healthcare services.

You can check out more on the progress of 10G over at 10gplatform.com.