5G

For clarification, the ‘G’ simply stands for ‘Generation.’

Currently only in the 18th year of my existence, I can only remember the transition to 2G indistinctly – in fact it was our family’s first foray into mobile phones. Officially 2G was first introduced in the 80s, however, remained elitist until the early 2000s. It the first digital signal based platform, meaning that mobile devices could shed their bulky analogue internals and become much smaller and more affordable. For the first time, mobile phones were not just for the likes of Gordon Gekko…

…but could reach a wider user base. 2G also introduced the SMS, a huge breakthrough for the time and a staple of all mobile communication today.

Then came 3G which heralded the smartphone era. 3G enabled data speed that made normal Internet usage away from wifi viable – a prerequisite criterion for the ‘smart’ label.  This advancement had huge implications. Had it not been for this (inevitable) increase in data rate, the internet, on a fundamental level, would be totally different. With 3G, services like YouTube and Facebook were able to grow from relative niche status to cultural phenomena. Whenever such an advancemnt takes place, the collective media community is able to flourish it its wake. And now we have 4G which currently gives sufficient data rates to stream high bitrate video to a mobile handset over cellular data live – with application in live events/sports. So since 4G seems much like a Hollywood sequel in its improvements, what’s next?

Just around the corner is 5G. One of this generation’s claims to fame is the concept of the heterogeneous network. Simply put, this architecture allows fluid movement from wifi to cellular data all within a single network. At the moment, we have a phone plan, a wifi plan and some of us even have a separate plan for our mobile dongles. 5G eliminates this need for multiple plans.

Furthermore, have you ever wondered why a voice call on a thousand dollar iPhone sounds pretty rubbish considering the tech the phone possesses? This will change with 5G. Instead of relying on telephone wires and outdated cellular transmitters/receivers, 5G will send your phone calls over the internet. Thus, audio quality in phone calls will drastically increase.

Finally, 5G has a lot to do with the ‘Internet of things’, but that’s a topic for another blog…