The need for speed is moreish, thankfully analysts have predicted 5G connections will launch in 2020 with 24 million 5G connections to be made by 2021.
Advancement in technology is as inevitable as death and taxes, unless we manage to royally screw things up by making a collective decision, that would hold back the progression of society.
Smartphones and tablets are steadily getting faster, so the connections we rely on to provide us with information and entertainment must keep up. According to technology research firm Ovum, 5G connections should be launching commercially in 2020 with 24 million consumer 5G connections made by 2021.
We’re not simply getting an upgrade in speed, we’re also getting an upgrade in technology and services as Ovum told us: “it will be different this time in that it will support many different use cases, ranging from mobile broadband to IoT and mission-critical communications. The latter will include everything from driverless cars to remote surgery.”
We know 5G is going to be fast, but how fast? Researchers at the University of Surrey’s 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) managed to achieve one terabit per second (Tbps), when stressing a 5G connection. Theoretically it would be possible to download a feature film in a mere three seconds if the 5G connection were to remain consistent.
Technology firm Ovum said that while we can expect 5G connections by 2020, the UK will not be one of the few countries to be concentrated on for the upgrade. The vast majority of 5G connections will be concentrated on the US, Japan, China and South Korea. Major operators have revealed aggressive timelines for launching 5G services.
Ovum reassured What Mobile the UK will be a major 5G network but not in the early stages of implementation. Major operators in the concentrated market are intent on launching 5G as early as possible, hence why they will see 5G first.
Shockingly the entire of Europe is only expected to make up up 10% of 5G connections, North America and Asia will account for 40% with the remainder made up by countries in Africa and the Middle East.
According to Ovum a number of operators have announced plans to launch what is described as 5G services, but do not actually comply with 5G standards.
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