Advent of 5G technology
2 019 is the year when the fifth generation cellular network or 5G technology will take off. Commercial rollouts are going to happen this year, which will have a major impact on the global economy and the digital world.
5G networks will offer much faster speeds, more reliable connections, higher data rate and system capacity, massive device connectivity, as well as reduced latency and energy cost. They will be bigger and more diverse than the current 4G or LTE cellular networks that would eventually be replaced by 5G’s shortwave technology being used now in satellites and radars.
Imagine browsing speeds
20 times faster than what it is today, while a video that requires 10 to 30 minutes for downloading on a smartphone nowadays would take just a few seconds through 5G. Combine this with a bandwidth reaching up to one gigabyte per second and a latency of less than a millisecond, which would allow a large amount of data to be transmitted over wireless systems instantly.
As smart cities develop a suitable infrastructure, the deployment of 5G will enable a rapid expansion in the Internet of Things (IoT) and create an autonomous world of self-driving cars, driverless train systems, and automated drone deliveries. IOT devices are based on recent breakthroughs in the domains of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The 5G revolution is being fueled by smartphone makers that are leading the adoption of this emerging technology. According to the 2018 Global Mobility Report published by Swedish telecom giant Ericsson, “5G will reach more than 40% global population coverage and 1.5 billion subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband by the end of 2024, making it the fastest generation ever to be rolled out on a global scale.”
London-headquartered global consulting firm Analysts Mason conducted a study on 5G readiness and its findings showed the following as the top 10 countries: China, South Korea, US, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Canada, Russia, and Singapore.
Last month, China’s Xiaomi Corp. confirmed that its Mi Mix 3 device will be one of the first 5G smartphones in the market. Xiaomi President Lin Bin shared the image of this flagship product running on 5G version, while Director of Product Management Donovan Sung retweeted it and said: “We’ve successfully tested 5G data connections on Xiaomi phones, and we can’t wait for the official rollout.”
However, US-based chipmaker Qualcomm, Inc. seems to have the upper hand in the 5G race. At the annual Snapdragon Tech Summit in Hawaii five weeks ago, Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon announced that the company will have “collaborations with several major industry leaders that will solidify our path to 5G commercialization, and change the way we use mobile devices in 2019 and beyond, creating a truly global moment for customers and tech enthusiasts around the world.”
American telecom firms AT&T and Verizon had live 5G networks at Qualcomm’s summit, where they tested 5G-enabled phones and a “pocketable” 5G mobile hotspot for the first time. As part of its 5G deployment, AT&T announced plans to bring 5G services to at least 19 US cities in early 2019.
In Japan, automotive giant Toyota Motor Corp. partnered with mobile carrier NTT Docomo to successfully test the T-HR3 robot in trials using 5G technology with control from a remote location in an area between two points with a distance of approximately 10 kilometers. The Japanese firms have developed the robot “with the aim of creating a partner robot that can safely support human activities in a variety of circumstances such as homes and health care institutions.”
Here in the Philippines, PLDT and Globe Telecom are both getting ready for 5G implementation. PLDT’s mobile subsidiary Smart Communications announced its intention to deploy a 5G pilot network by the first half of 2019 in partnership with Ericsson of Sweden. Meanwhile, Globe and Chinese firm