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5G: the mobile industry is already looking into the future

Posted: , by Victor H.

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5G: the mobile industry is already looking into the future
The evolution of mobile networks is astounding. Nearly two decades ago we started to see mobile phones and placing a voice call was a luxury few could afford. Thus started the times of 2G and the voice call. Fast forward to the beginning of the millenium, and the first data networks arrived. Data was what 3G was all about. 

Last year data went huge with 4G allowing you to watch and stream videos on your mobile device. And 4G is just getting started - the US is leading the way with Verizon’s huge LTE network and AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have all said they will sooner or later roll out huge networks (AT&T’s one is already live in limited markets).

But what about 5G? So far, we’ve only heard about LTE-Advanced which would allow speeds to peak at 1 gigabit per second, nearly a 10-fold increase over the current theoretical limit of 100Mbps. But tone down your excitement - you won’t be able to drain its full capacity on your mobile device. Expectations are that real-life speeds will be around 15Mbps on the downstream, a tad faster than the current LTE peak of around 12Mbps.

"5G won't be about more speed, necessarily," Tod Sizer, head of wireless research at Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs, said. "It may be faster, but it will be more about meeting the expectation of service quality."

As technology becomes smaller, in the future all appliances, clothes, accessories connected to the network, according to industry analysts. From your door lock and thermostat, to shoes, watches and cars - all will drain the network’s power.

So don’t hold your breaths for leaps in speed with 5G. The new generation of networks will rather be centered around stability as its importance will grow and on recognizing and handling billions of different connected devices.

By around 2020, data consumption is expected to skyrocket by 30 times, again according to Sizer’s predictions. Carrier’s equipment will become smaller and installed closer to the users - in bus stops, lamps. Closer means less radiation and lower power drain, Sizer explained.

In reality, 5G doesn’t yet exist. We’re referring to the next generation of data networks without an official definition by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). When do you think the future explained below will happen? Are you looking forward to it?

source: CNN

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1. cepcamba posted on 08 Mar 2012, 09:49 24

5G? What the hell is a Bieber?

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2. kshell1 posted on 08 Mar 2012, 09:51 5

hahahaha i remember that commercial. Ozzy rocks

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3. Shubham412302 posted on 08 Mar 2012, 09:54 1

mobiles chips cannot write data at that speed

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4. kshell1 posted on 08 Mar 2012, 10:00 6

i wouldn't give them to long before they can, the same was probably said for 4g but that happened to.

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5. remixfa posted on 08 Mar 2012, 10:25 4

Its going to be a good while before THESE mobile devices need that much speed. I.could see.it.for.commercial and emergency service use but other than bragging rights your phone.doesn't Need it.. and it.can't even process that fast..lol.

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8. cepcamba posted on 08 Mar 2012, 11:16 3

Even desktop computers can't process that. :p

Yeah, it's just for bragging rights.

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9. bluenexus posted on 08 Mar 2012, 11:22

I second that. I use 3G all the time and it's really unnecessary for me to use 4G, or 5G for the things I do with my mobile device. Not to mention the massive drain it has on the battery life.

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6. quryous (banned) posted on 08 Mar 2012, 10:25 6 1

Since ATT, with the blessing of the new Snapple, just went from 3G to 4G by changing a few pixels on their display (and nothing more), I expect that almost all carriers will be advertising that they are 5G, if you hold it right, by the end of the year.

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17. LoneShaolin posted on 08 Mar 2012, 13:52 2

I bet all the iLemmings are loving their "new 4G" iPhones

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7. gallitoking posted on 08 Mar 2012, 10:56 2 8

"T-Mo is skipping 4G LTE and going straight to 5G"

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10. skymitch89 posted on 08 Mar 2012, 11:33 1

I think that if and when we get to 5G that it might be a little faster than 4G, yet I think that they we might see more bandwidth and lower latency/ping.

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11. Bluesky02 posted on 08 Mar 2012, 11:34 4

LTE(long term evolution) is not 4G
LTE Advanced is supposed to be the true 4G
So before speaking about 5G, let true 4G evolve first.
Those LTE 4G you see are misleading marketing banner to drive sales.

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12. troybuilt posted on 08 Mar 2012, 11:35 11

Well, according to the iFans their iPhones already have 5G. LOL!

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14. SuperEd posted on 08 Mar 2012, 13:24 4

Oh but it is...and don't get too close to the edge of your iThing...else you may fall off and be sucked into obscurity!!!!

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16. Forsaken77 posted on 08 Mar 2012, 13:42 1

I don't even think they need to progress past 20Mb in the speed dept.. If you have good enough coverage, meaning 3 or more bars, you'll get a super fast download. I think they need to really improve their coverage of the service first. Build out before building up. Make it so the service goes through buildings and tunnels flawlessly. If we have good coverage everywhere, then 20mb's is plenty fast enough.

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20. remixfa posted on 09 Mar 2012, 07:20 1

i agree, i would much rather see better coverage for all the carriers than a constant speed race that no one can actually take advantage of. The speeds are great for now, lets work on spreading that speed.

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18. handicrapguy posted on 08 Mar 2012, 16:15

Focusing on service quality is a great idea imo. Current mobile speeds seem fast enough from my experience. What would be nice is to have current speeds without the huge power drain it causes.

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19. tward291 posted on 09 Mar 2012, 07:13

we need to get true 4g before we look to 5g. I think that speeds need to increase because of tablets

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