The plan for making 5G mobile connections a reality by 2020 is coming together

By Andy Boxall Published June 23, 2015

cell tower [Shutterstock noolwlee] — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Not everyone can enjoy 4G data speeds yet, but that hasn’t stopped the mobile industry (and us) talking about 5G — the next, even faster and more capable, standard of mobile broadband connectivity. To make sure everyone’s on the same page when it comes to developing 5G, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has come up with its official 5G mission plan for the next five years.

This is important for several reasons. The first is without the ITU stepping in and providing solid, official criteria for 5G, we could see a situation where marketing teams simply dub a slightly faster 4G system as 5G. This, as in the case of 4G in the U.S., can lead to all sorts of confusion. Plus, once the ITU lay out the rules for 5G, we’ll finally know what to expect in terms of speed from the next generation of high-speed mobile data connections.

Recommended Videos

The ITU has given 5G an official name, and detailed a timeline for the system’s advancement over the next five years. It’ll refer to 5G connections as IMT-2020, following on from IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced. That’s 3G and 4G to you and me. The name refers to when it wants 5G to be commercialized: the year 2020.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

What about the all-important speeds? The ITU will establish the official performance requirements for a network to be classed as 5G next year, but that hasn’t stopped speculation growing that it’ll be around the 20Gpbs range, and that’s fast enough to download a 4K movie in about 10 seconds. A larger capacity and greater range will make it more suitable for managing a network of driverless cars, and for true smart home connectivity wherever you are in the world.

According to a report in the Korea Times, where the 20Gpbs figure is unofficially stated, one of the first public demonstrations of 5G’s capabilities will come during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

While it’s good news the ITU has put a date on 5G’s commercialization, it has been rather bullied into it. Last year, the introduction of 5G by 2020 was touted by UK Prime Minister David Cameron, and by London Mayor Boris Johnson. The former’s statement was so premature, it came 14-months before the ITU had even given 5G an official name.

Now, we get to wait and see if the mobile industry can keep pace with the ITU’s timeline for 5G.

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

T-Mobile is buying one of the largest carriers in the U.S.

If you were impacted by T-Mobile's latest price hike and were looking for an alternative carrier, we have some bad news — T-Mobile is buying US Cellular. For those unaware, U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest carrier in the U.S. despite being a regional carrier based mostly in the Chicago area. Unlike mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Metro by T-Mobile or Visible, which piggyback on a parent carrier’s network, US Cellular has its own towers and stores.

The deal would see T-Mobile pay $4.4 billion to take over US Cellular’s wireless customers, stores, and 30% of its spectrum assets. It includes a combination of cash and T-Mobile assuming $2 billion of U.S. Cellular’s debt. US Cellular will keep control of 4,400 of its towers and 70% of its spectrum portfolio, but T-Mobile will extend its leases for 600 US Cellular towers and sign new long-term leases on 2,015 more towers. In a conference call about the deal, T-Mobile also committed to hiring a significant number of U.S. Cellular associates.

Mobile

Your next T-Mobile bill might be more expensive

We have bad news for you if you have an older T-Mobile wireless plan. According to internal company documents obtained by The Mobile Report, rates for your plan are going up by $2 to $5 per month.

Customers with a legacy Simple Choice, ONE, or Magenta plan will likely experience price increases. The increased price applies to each line, meaning that if you have four lines, you could potentially see a monthly increase of up to $20 per lmonth. CNET also corroborated the report with its own sources.

Mobile

What is 5G? Speeds, coverage, comparisons, and more

Someone using the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

For years, 5G mobile networking has been the golden goose egg that many mobile device manufacturers and carriers have been striving for. And now more than ever, that dream is very much a reality. 5G connectivity can be found on everything from iPhones to Android hardware, and even some third-party mobile devices. But is there really that big of a difference between 5G and 4G/LTE? The simple answer is yes, but nothing’s ever just black and white, especially when we’re talking about consumer tech.

Not to worry though: We’ve been researching and working with 5G devices for a long time here at Digital Trends. To help you through the weeds on the subject, we’ve put together this 5G guide to give you all the mobile know-how you’ll need.
What is 5G?