The 5G Standard is Taking Off

Though 4G networks are not yet deployed all around the globe, the next-generation mobile standard has already begun to take shape.

5G was the megatrend at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. Yet its definition won’t be complete until 2020.

“On the Path to 5G,” “Building Next-Gen Standard,” “5G: the Future is Happening.” These are some of the signs visible along the aisles at Mobile World. 5G was everywhere and on everyone’s lips, each offering a different definition. Yet, this next-gen mobile standard will only be finalized in 2020.

A Revolutionary New Ecosystem

From Huawei to Ericsson and Samsung to Nokia, the fair’s industrial players maintained that 5G is expected to encompass both an evolution of LTE-A (4G) features and the introduction of genuinely new technology. It will represent a whole new ecosystem with a new architecture.

For Aisha Evans, Corporate VP and General Manager at Intel:

When we talk about 5G, it’s not just taking existing technologies like LTE, WiFi and improving them. It’s also creating new technologies like mobile edge millimeter wave.

The mm-wave spectrum has long been ignored by the mobile industry. But Intel is now working on developing mm-wave cells suitable for mobile handsets. According to the company, by tapping into the 30-300 GHz spectrum, mm-wave technology will offer backhaul performance and address the need for massive IoT deployment and connection of billions of devices.