Mobile Devices are becoming more and more bandwidth hungry. After the introduction of the first internet service on mobile phone in 1999 that uses the 2G network with the data transfer rate of less than 20Kbp, the use of 2G phones became more widespread and people began to utilize mobile phones in their daily lives. The live streaming of video and audio on handsets started with the introduction of 3G network a network that can support data rate of up to 2Mbps. But soon it is realized that 3G network would be overwhelmed by the growth of bandwidth-intensive applications and hence result in the introduction of 4G network in 2009, a technology capable of transferring data at the speed of up to 100Mbps.Since the introduction of 1G (1st Generation) in 1981 it’s been observed that a new mobile generation has appeared approximately every 10th year. The 2G (2nd Generation) network was rolled out in 1991, the 3G (3rd Generation) in 2001 and the present 4G (4th Generation) in 2012, except for the improved versions that were launched in between these time lines like 2.5G or 3.5G. Based on the above observations, some sources suggest that a new generation of 5G (5th Generation) standards may be introduced approximately in the early 2020s.
As described by the Ericsson the 5G solution will not consist of a single technology but rather an integrated combination of radio-access technologies. This includes existing mobile-broadband technologies such as HSPA and LTE that will continue to evolve and will provide the backbone of the overall radio-access solution beyond 2020. But it also includes new complementary radio-access technologies for specific use cases. Smart antennas, expanded spectrum – including higher frequencies – and improved coordination between base stations will all be crucial to fulfilling the requirements of the future. Additionally mobile-broadband technologies will expand into new deployment scenarios, such as ultra-dense deployments, and new use cases such as different kinds of machine-type communication.
Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment provider Huawei predict that 5G will deliver peak data rates of over 10Gbps, 100 times faster than today’s 4G networks. But one of the main benefits of 5G over 4G will not only be its speed but the latency. At present, latency of a 4G network is between 40ms and 60ms, which is low-latency but not low enough to provide real-time response. 5G’s prospective ultra-low-latency could range between 1ms and 10ms, this ensure that when you hit a button, the remote server responds instantly.
It is predicted by the analysts that there will be nearly 50 billion connected devices worldwide by the year 2020. These devices includes (but not limited to) smartphones, tablets and smartwatches, fridges, cars, augmented reality specs and even smart clothes. Some of these devices require significant data to be shifted back and forth, while others might just need small packets of data to be sent and received. The 5G system will be capable of understanding and recognizing this bandwidth requirement for each device and allocate it respectively, thereby not putting unnecessary strain on individual connection point.
The 5G system will help operators meet the long-term vision of unlimited access to information and sharing of data available anywhere and anytime to anyone and anything.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5G
http://www.ericsson.com/news/130625-5g-radio-access-research-and-
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