The 5G Mobile Technology is Coming

2016 is the year in which conversations about 5G finally cease to be more than just hype and seem something more tangible. During MWC, companies could not stop talking about it, and rightly so. It ‘s been over six years since the LTE 4G began to be used and a standard for 5G is only expected for 2018. Now is the time to start exploring the new frontiers where we are stuck in the Mobile technologies.

So what is the 5G, exactly? So far, due to the lack of a genuine information, it is just a concept. This concept describes a new generation of wireless networks that reach speeds at least ten times faster than the 4G LTE, with instant latency in some cases. Most companies are searching millimeter waves to reach faster speeds, but they are still using spectrum below 6GHz, which is already used today. While the research is carried out, the speed of LTE will continue to increase over the next few years, until the 5G finally quit. Even when the technology is standardized, it is expected that the two are compatible.

The biggest advantage of 5G idea is its flexibility, since the devices are made ​​in order to fit their needs. Thus, such things as devices for home and cars, for example, can use a part of the network at lower speeds, but it will use a remarkably low latency as to be less than one millisecond. The 5G could also distribute broadband more easily to rural areas using millimeter waves. The startupStarry is using the sameinternet technology to distribute the cities and some people even consider this as a prototype of a 5G network.

None of this is exactly new, but the MWC was more committed to the 5G than ever. Intel announced that it has teamed with new partners, including AT & T, Verizon and Ericson and is also working with other organizations. Best of all is that Intel will work with the rest of the industry rather than trying to develop their own technology (which could be a repeat of the fiasco of WiMax 4G).

Intel demonstrated a number of videos on 360 5G running on a platform using about 2 Gbps of bandwidth. There was also a demonstration of a “Massively MIMO”, an evolution of the current MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) which is a technology for transmitting in parallel channels, which allow up to 64 antennas bring data to a single access point. This is what will prevent 5G networks become very congested, which will basically ensure faster speeds. An engineer at Intel said they are more excited about the launch of 5G than they were at the time of 4G.

But even if the 5G survive all the hype, it probably will still be limited by the amount of data to be used. What, in other words, it’s like having a Ferrari that you can only use to get around the block once a day. With 3G and 4G mobile operators learned that it is very difficult and expensive to offer unlimited data users. But perhaps the 5G can break this barrier and turn that dream into reality.