The hope is to get 5G mobile networks up and running in time, at least, for the winter Olympics in South Korea in February 2018. Japan has its own plans for the technology when it hosts the summer Olympics in July 2020. Expect wireless carriers to start rolling out their 5G networks in earnest shortly thereafter.
The race to launch 5G is reminiscent of the rush to do likewise with Wi-Fi in the 1990s, when equipment makers hurried out interim gear both in order to influence emerging standards (and thus lock in their own particular patents) and to get a foot in the door ready for when the technology took off. Which it duly did. Many believe 5G could be an even bigger change. Hype aside, the technology is more than just a faster, better and more efficient network for mobile phones. It makes many things possible that were previously just pipe dreams.
5G wireless could put some fixed-line internet connections to shame, even at the lower end of its performance range. As such, it could spell the end of wired connections in the street and around the home and workplace. Fibre will still find a role in hauling traffic back from wireless base stations to central offices. But not having to dig up the road to lay “last mile” fibre or coaxial cables for delivering internet access and high-definition television to individual addresses will be a relief for telecoms firms. Beaming such services wirelessly from nearby base stations instead should reduce costs significantly.
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