Underpinning this explosion is the growth of streaming services, both audio and video, and people's growing use of apps – all underwritten by the expectation of having a high-speed data connection at all times, even when away from Wi-Fi.With 4G now entrenched as a global standard for our immediate future in developed markets, it is set to be usurped by 5G, but what does that mean for you? In short: faster speeds and more capacity, due to a more resilient network.
What is 5G?
Next-generation mobile networks are expected to handle much more data volume, connect many more devices, significantly reduce latency and bring new levels of reliability. 5G has been designed to meet these needs by pooling bandwidth to boost range and speed.According to a recent report from the National Infrastructure Commission, "5G means seamless connectivity. Ultra-fast, ultra-reliable, ultra-high capacity transmitting at super low latency. It will support the ever larger data requirements of the existing network and new applications from augmented reality to connected vehicles and the Internet of Things, and many more, as unknowable today as the 4G services we take for granted would have been a decade ago."
How much faster is 5G compared to 4G?
At first, 5G will likely average speeds of 100Mbps, which isn't a huge step up from the maximum for networks already using LTE-Advanced, which tend to deliver download speeds of between 30-50Mbps in real-world conditions. In lab conditions, the technology most widely in use today can handle up to a theoretical maximum of 150Mbps. This maximum depends on the category of the device and connection, however. Category 4 LTE maxes out at 150Mbps, but Cat 9 goes up to a theoretical maximum of 450Mbps.Just to confuse things a little further, due to the technical definitions of wireless technologies – and the lack of a universal standard – you could see LTE-Advanced marketed as 5G, or 4G+, or LTE-Advanced+ or by some other as yet undefined name. In summary, it's a marked improvement but the exact numbers will vary.
How is it so much faster?
4G LTE-Advanced, 5G or whatever else you want to call it splits the data into bands, each of which has its own particular bandwidth limitations. By aggregating these different bands and pooling the bandwidth (essentially), the end-user should get speeds far closer to 100Mbps and beyond as the technology develops.| 2016 Smartphones with LTE |
Who is working to introduce 5G to the masses?
Although the Finnish firm hasn’t announced a release date yet, Nokia is also poised to release 4.9G in the 'near future' – an upgrade which it says will push data speeds to several gigabits per second.
In the US, AT&T and Verizon have begun trialing 5G across a controlled number of sites and will roll this trial out further over the next decade, starting in 2017. The trial and roll out formed part of the Obama administration’s Advanced Wireless Research Initiative led by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
More recently, Ericsson (who in recent years have partner with major network providers in Nigeria) announced they partner with Orange in working on the development and test of selected 5G use cases based on Orange's network, using Ericsson 5G technology. The partnership will enable so-called "5G technology building blocks", proof of concepts, and pilots across Europe from 2017 onwards. These include wireless multi-gigabits internet access, "ultra large mobile coverage solutions" and connected cars.
Also, Ericsson is partnering with NTT DOCOMO and Intel to build a 5G trial environment in central Tokyo, starting next year. The purpose of the trials is to test use case applications and radio performance. Ericsson will provide 5G end-to-end systems including 5G radio and core networks, and Intel will contribute its chipset in user devices.
The trial will be conducted using the 28GHz frequency band; a candidate band which the Japanese government is considered designating for use by commercial 5G networks in Japan.
Countries like South Korea have been considering the specifications, implementation and deployment of 5G since as far back as 2008.
Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia and Qualcomm recently announced the formation of the “5G Automotive Association”. The goal is to address the issues around connected mobility and road safety with apps including connected automated driving, access to services and integration into smart cities and intelligent transports.
And when can we expect it to arrive?
As it stands now, 5G is expected to start rolling out globally sometime in 2020, with Ovum's figures suggesting there will be 24 million 5G subscribers by 2021.What is causing the delay?
The main reason for ensuring global compatibility is that otherwise devices made for one country won't necessarily work on the same spectrum bands in other countries. This is particularly vital for the success of the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected-devices in general; each of them will need a low-latency, high-capacity, and highly reliable connection to truly reach their potential.The concession to this point of harmonisation is that LTE-Advanced/5G should be backwards compatible, provided the right groundwork is laid down ahead of the rollouts. For example, a device that supports Cat 4LTE, but not faster Cat9 will still use LTE-Advanced technology, but won't get the full benefits of that carrier aggregation. It'll still be a whole lot better than current 4G (and most certainly 3G) speeds though.
With live deployments not yet under way and technical terms still not yet defined, there's still time for everything to change again before 5G actually arrives – and of course, there's still time to introduce another completely new acronym.
What about in the Nigeria?
| 900 | 1800 | 3G 2100 AirtelNG; 3G 2100 Glo Mobile; 3G 2100 Etisalat; 3G 2100 MTN; |
Source: Wired
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