by
Mark Ollig
Imagine
being able to download an 800-megabyte movie file in less than one second.
This,
and much more, is the promise of the next generation in mobile cellular
technology.
Currently,
many of us are using the fourth generation (4G) of wireless cellular technology
in our smartphone or mobile device.
This
latest generation of high-speed, cellular data service operates over a 4G LTE
(Long-Term Evolution) network.
LTE’s
upper packet data-layers are built upon TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) technology.
On
average, an individual user’s 4G LTE data speeds will range from about 2 Mbps
to 20 Mbps.
We
have been using 4G LTE for a few years now. So, what will the next quantum leap
in high-speed, mobile technology be?
Folks
in the information and communications technology industry are calling this next
generation of mobile technology: 5G.
Some
have described 5G as “ultra broadband.” Others say it has the potential of
transmitting data 1,000 times faster than the current 4G LTE.
One
company’s research paper states that their 5G HyperService Cube will provide
users a 1Gbps minimum data rate speed, while users of mobile cloud services
will experience “fiber-like” data-rate speeds of 10Gbps.
With
the ongoing advancements in communication technology, I question how long it
will be until we permanently “cut the cord” and become a virtually wireless
communicating populace.
It
has taking, on average, 10 years for each new generation of high-speed,
wireless mobile technology to be developed and implemented commercially.
The
first 1G cellular network in the US was activated in 1983, by Ameritech, in
Chicago. Motorola’s DynaTAC was the first mobile phone using this network.
Late
in 2010, 4G LTE became available in the US.
Will
we need to wait until 2020 for the 5G version to become fully developed, and
commercially available from the cellular carriers?
I’m
not so sure. It seems some folks across the big pond just can’t wait that long.
Prime
Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom said, with the “world on fast
forward,” the UK risks being left behind, without ultra-fast broadband.
Cameron
recently met with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, during the CeBit trade
show in Hannover, Germany.
There,
Cameron announced a partnership to develop 5G wireless technology between the
UK and Germany.
“We
are on the brink of a new industrial revolution and I want us – the UK and
Germany – to lead it,” said Cameron.
This
partnership includes the University of Dresden in Germany, King’s College
University in London, and the University of Surrey in southeast England.
“It
is our ambition to make the UK the most digital nation in the G8, and it is my
mission to show the world that we’re getting there,” Cameron said.
And
it’s not just the UK pushing for 5G, as South Korea has scheduled to roll out
trial services of 5G in 2017, and to have it fully commercialized by 2020.
Huawei,
an information and communications technology company in China, said it also plans
a 5G rollout by 2020.
“Any
mobile app and any mobile service will be given the potential to connect to
anything at any time – from people and communities to physical things,
processes, content, working knowledge, timely pertinent information, and goods
of all sorts in entirely flexible, reliable, and secure ways,” said Huawei in
their “5G: A Technology Vision” paper. The complete 16-page paper can be
downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/bytes-hauwei1.
It
is said that 5G technology will bring about, more quickly, “The Internet of
Things” or IoT.
IoT
has to do with intelligent components, called “smart sensors,” being attached
to, and gathering information from the electronic devices we use. These are the
“things” which will be connected to the Internet.
Techopedia
describes IoT saying: “If we had computers that knew everything there was to
know about things – using data they gathered without any help from us – we
would be able to track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss,
and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing, or recalling,
and whether they were fresh or past their best.”
Examples
of IoT devices include smart sensors on water pumps and water meters. These
smart sensors will constantly monitor and report on water pressure, levels,
usage, and locate any leaks.
Smart
sensors connected to homes’ and businesses’ electrical meters will be
communicating with the power grid over the Internet.
Wearable
health monitoring devices will instantly relay information back to the
healthcare provider.
And
when the milk is almost gone in the refrigerator – you guessed it – a smart
sensor will order more for us.
It
seems the future of the IoT is predicated on having the computers, appliances,
and other devices in our businesses and our homes becoming attached to the
Internet’s computing networking cloud.
When
considering 5G’s potential, along with the promise of enhanced, super-fast
broadband networks, and the Internet’s IPV6 addressing structure, virtually
every device on the planet could be interconnected, thus creating a truly
globally-networked society.
It’s
still early in the 5G game; however, the excitement is beginning.
