Just as consumers are wrapping their heads around 4G, the wireless industry is thinking ahead to 5G.
Soaring smartphone and tablet sales mean networks are growing clogged with cellular data traffic. For the time being, 4G technology can help relieve the congestion. Modern networks are able to cram more data into their airwaves than older technologies can.
But soon, even 4G's efficiencies won't be enough.
By 2020, industry analysts say the amount of cellular traffic created by smartphones and tablets will be dwarfed by the data generated from the world of connected "things." Shoes, watches, appliances, cars,thermostats and door locks will all be on the network.
That's a big problem for wireless carriers, which are hitting a point of diminishing returns on their network efficiency improvements. They're butting up against the limits of physics as they try to add capacity.
Any further improvements will be incremental, at best.
Take LTE-Advanced. It's the next big post-4G upgrade in the pipeline, and it's theoretically capable of speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, about 10 times that of current 4G networks. In real-world situations, though, LTE-A will only deliver speeds of up to 15 megabits per second -- just slightly faster than the 12 megabits per second that 4G networks currently offer.
So what can 5G offer that 4G can't?
"5G won't be about more speed, necessarily," says Tod Sizer, head of wireless research at Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs. "It may be faster, but it will be more about meeting the expectation of service quality." Visit Digital Marketing Contest 2012 for regular updates on Digital Marketing.
sources:- http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/08/technology/5G-wireless/index.htm?iid=Lead
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