aNewDomain — Remember the old saying that projects have to “demo or die?” 5G mobile communication is on the way and prototypes — and demonstrations — are currently in development.
This technology may help narrow the digital divide. Developing nations tend to be more mobile-reliant than developed nations, and 5G mobile can help bring better access to many.
Samsung and Ericsson are talking about initial deployment of 5G mobile communication devices around 2020, though general adoption will take several more years. Also, there are currently no 5G standards, and you can bet that there will be more than one.
Here are a couple of 5G prototype demos:
Samsung demonstrates transmission speed — 7.5 gbps standing still and a 1.2 gbps in a car going 112 kph:
Ericsson demonstrates seamless handoff between 5G and LTE:
The companies also brought their virtual reality, remote-controlled excavator to MWC 2015:
The final products available to consumers will likely not be as fast as these prototypes, but they will eventually cost about the same as today’s mobile radios.
And for a moment of wishful thinking …
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a global 5G standard? Imagine everyone using the same license-free spectrum and protocols. Imagine a world where our phones moved seamlessly between nations and between carriers. And cars that were compatible with instrumented roads everywhere, like Wi-Fi …
Awake again — Maybe I will get a Verizon 5G phone in the U.S. around 2022. By then, our mobile devices will likely be 10-20 times as powerful as they are today, and there will be many “things” connected to the Internet. What new apps will we find for this high-speed, low-latency wireless connectivity?
For aNewDomain, I’m Larry Press.
Featured image courtesy: Samsung Tomorrow
