The next big thing in the mobile technology is 5G – a fifth-generation wireless data transmission technology operating at the highest speeds consumers have ever seen.
What is 5G? Users can expect data transmission speeds significantly faster than 4G, allowing them to roam the Internet, download films and videos, and experiment with technologies like virtual reality and robotics at data transmission speeds they’ve never experienced before.
Consumers will soon see 5G networks roll out with a big commercial ramp-up in 2020. Test trial runs for 5G are already up and running in select cities like Houston and Los Angeles, and technology companies have seen enough to feel comfortable about releasing 5G wireless technology sooner rather than later.
5G is expected to operate at speeds that are three times the speed of 4G technology. It has been reported that the 5G network will ultimately operate at speeds 200 times faster than the existing 4G network.
Regulatory oversight of 5G has been somewhat lax. This will be a challenge, as China represents a major competitive threat in the lucrative wireless device market and has outspent the US on 5G technology.
There’s a lot of money on the table, and much at stake for companies looking to compete in the global 5G marketplace. According to 2018 data from ResearchandMarkets.com, 5G will be a $251 billion market by 2025, growing at an annual rate of 97 per cent.
Let’s have a look at where we have come from on this journey.
1G. The first iteration of mobile technology, first-generation tools and devices began appearing in the early 1990s, as cellular telecommunication networks started gaining traction.
2G. The second generation of mobile technology included a huge and widely-used data transmission technology – the use of phone texts on wireless networks.
3G. The third generation of mobile technology appeared in the late 1990s as mobile phone users started getting “smart”, with the ability to connect directly to the Internet using cell phone.
4G. The fourth generation of mobile technology focused on two main technology breakthroughs – much faster data transmission speeds and the introduction of mobile apps to the global mobile population.
5G. The fifth generation of mobile connectivity, 5G will likely be known for its speed component and should set the commercial standard for fast connectivity for the next decade. Users can expect higher speeds to upload, download, experience higher quality videos, and leverage new breakthroughs in existing augmented reality technologies.
Technology industry analysts expect 5G to be the real deal when it gets rolling. The technology will connect billions of devices and sensors and will have a formidable impact on major industries in the form of smart homes, fully automated vehicles, artificial intelligence and robotics, 3D printing, and technology-enhanced health care services, including automated surgery.
5G gains its speed advantage via an ultra-high frequency wireless spectrum band known as millimetre wave. This technology enables wireless data to be transmitted more quickly than 4G’s lower-frequency band. 5G technology also runs more quickly because of spacing, using a network of smaller antennas packed more closely together than with previous iterations of wireless data transmission.
And next there will be a 6G of Mobile Technology. Enjoy the journey.
Gordon is the former president and chief executive of BMMI. He can be reached at gordonboyle@hotmail.com