Communication and Networks

Currently we are more connected than ever with advanced networks and communication systems, which enable us to communicate with the outside world from wherever we are. Telecommunication and text messaging run mainly through standard signals but the majority of our mobile apps, games and tools require internet access through data networks to function to their full potential. Currently these data networks are running with a 4G connection, which stands for the 4th generation of this technology. Within the next 3-5 years the 5th Generation of the network (or 5G) will be ready for release, which will include many upgrades in terms of speed, total bandwidth, overall coverage and improved latency over previous generations. This improved network is expected to generate much more revenue for tech companies upon release due to the explosion of new applications and services becoming available because of the broadband like speeds of 5G. Revenues for 5G services will exceed $65 billion by 2025 according to a forecast done by Juniper research. Some experts also expect 5G to overcome many in-home networks and become the primary source of internet connectivity as they begin to match and outpace broadband networks in data transfer speeds and accessibility. New services that will become more common due to this technology include self-driving cars, 4K and 8K video and improved augmented realities; new devices will also become increasingly more viable as these networks continue to offer improved functionality and connectivity to the world around us. The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance has a specific list of requirements which outlines the capabilities a network must have to be considered 5th Generation.

They Include:

• Data rates of several tens of megabits per second should be supported for tens of thousands of users

• 1 gigabit per second to be offered simultaneously to many workers on the same office floor

• Several hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections to be supported for massive sensor deployments

• Spectral efficiency should be significantly enhanced compared to 4G

• Coverage should be improved

• Signaling efficiency should be enhanced

• Latency should be reduced significantly compared to LTE.

(Retrieved from: http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2016/03/31/5g-mobile-networks-next-big-battleground/id=67632/)

By 2025 5G will have been out for at least a few years and will have had the time to spread and become available in many areas. With the forecasted specifications that have been announced we can expect 5G to be a significant improvement over the 4G-LTE networks we have today. The 2011 IDC Digital Universe study predicted that by 2020 the amount of overall data worldwide will increase by 50 times, largely due to sensors in clothing, buildings, medical devices and more. They even speculate that business executives will have a difficult time finding qualified people to analyse it all. To put it in perspective by the mid 1940s human knowledge was doubling every 25 years but today in 2016 our knowledge is doubling on average every 13 months. IBM claims that the internet of things will eventually double our knowledge every 12 hours. With our consumption rates, file sizes and overall amount of data increasing this 5th generation network will have its work cut out for it. With compression also becoming more advanced we can expect that by 2025 the hardware, software and networks will have ironed out the kinks in this new network to provide a seamless mobile experience.

Conclusion

When our generation was going through primary and secondary school our teachers always told us that we wouldn’t always have a calculator on us, which has obviously proved to be untrue. Now our teachers tell us that it is impossible to have every piece of information you need when you need it but jokes on them, it’s already happening and will only improve. They say our mobile phones are more powerful than the computers that first put a man on the moon which really puts into perspective how far we’ve come, and how far we can go if we continue to progress as we have.

Sources

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Mobile Technology and the future of higher education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2016, from https://infteam.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2012/11/29/mobile-technology-and-the-future-of-higher-education-5-predictions/

How the Internet Of Things Will Change Almost Everything. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/12/17/how-the-internet-of-things-will-change-almost-everything/#24c6d19756d7

Five tech trends that will change the mobile world in the next 10 years. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2016, from http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Five-tech-trends-that-will-change-the-mobile-world-in-the-next-10-years

5G Mobile Networks: The Next Big Battleground - IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Patent Law. (2016, March 31). Retrieved April 15, 2016, from http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2016/03/31/5g-mobile-networks-next-big-battleground/id=67632/

Mearian, L. (2011). World's data will grow by 50X in next decade, IDC study predicts. Retrieved April 16, 2016, from http://www.computerworld.com/article/2509588/data-center/world-s-data-will-grow-by-50x-in-next-decade--idc-study-predicts.html

Knowledge Doubling Every 12 Months, Soon to be Every 12 Hours - Industry Tap. (2013). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12-months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/3950