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Technology

5G IS COMING…

But What is It?

BYWILLIAM WEBB

The expectation around 5G surpasses all now contemplating 5G. So a key question is
previous generations. We are told it will whether this trend will continue for the next ten
herald a digital utopia with services beyond years. Will we see another hundred-fold increase
our dreams and gigabit data rates. But that in data usage, ever more apps and more dramatic
is not how things appear to be working out. changes in the way we live our lives, or was this
Instead, 5G may just be a minor upgrade a one-off change that has now mostly run its
to 4G networks, performed by increasingly course? Or will other factors such as coverage
cash-strapped mobile operators. For better become more important?
services consumers may look to Wi-Fi and 5G is predicated on assuming the data usage
to alternative providers. Rather than deliv- trend will continue, and will even accelerate, and
ering the crowning achievement of 40 years that latency will also become more critical. It
RI PRELOH VXFFHVV * PD\ EH WKH ÀUVW LQGL- broadly aims to deliver even more capacity and
cation that its best days are past. even faster speeds than 4G. To many this feels
right – it is hard to remember a time when things
T en years ago the iPhone was introduced, 5G is predicated on widespread use of virtual and augmented reality,
were not growing fast. This future would see
bringing about the most dramatic change
autonomous cars that need low-latency Gbit
in the use of telecommunications ever
seen. Since then there has not been much tech- assuming the data connectivity, body-cams, ubiquitous Internet
usage trend will
nological change but data usage, app usage and of Things (IoT) and many things we cannot
continue, and will even
new business models have grown astoundingly. currently imagine. It would be delivered through
accelerate, and that
Each generation of mobile phone technology WKH FXUUHQW LQGXVWU\ VWUXFWXUH RI À[HG RSHUDWRUV
latency will also become
tends to occur on a ten-yearly cycle and we are more critical. mobile network operators (MNOs) and large

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