The 5G network : Coming Soon..

The internet has come a long way. More than a third of the world’s population is online, smart devices are growing ever-more popular, and mobile broadband subscriptions are expected to grow to 7.9 billion by 2019 from the current 2.9 billion.

Swedish telecoms powerhouse Ericsson is taking things to the next level with a push toward a 5G network, leaving 3G and 4G firmly behind.

However, fully enabled 5G has not yet been realized. Technology innovators are working to increase coverage and data speeds, but no international standards have yet been agreed upon.

“It’s expected that there will be fully enabled 5G networks by 2020, but the gradual evolution to 5G has already begun.”

The International Telecommunication Union allows carriers to dub anything 4G if it offers a “substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities” over 3G. We can thus speculate that 5G will be any network that is better than 4G.

5G would most likely be used for industry applications such as operating heavy machinery from a distance, and could even be used for machine-operated surgeries.

A next-generation 5G wireless service capable of downloading full-length films in a second, highlighting possible benefits to the individual consumer.

The ministry said it would invest $1.5 billion in local firms working on the service, and aims to make it commercially available by the end of the decade.

By 2020, with the advance of 5G networks, mobile data volumes are expected to increase 1,000-fold compared to today.

In the push for 5G, industry experts say it is likely to require many more base stations, including smaller stations employing a range of radio technologies, to ensure better coverage.

Also, faster connectivity is set to be facilitated by multiple input, multiple output technology, which uses several small antennae to service individual data streams.

It may be a few years away, but the implications of 5G are already getting tech-lovers excited.