DUBLIN, Ireland-Forget about third-generation (3G) technology and don’t even think about General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). A group of researchers in Finland reckon fifth generation (5G) is the next big thing and that by the end of this decade, it will offer mobile users the type of download speeds currently enjoyed by fixed broadband subscribers.
Within the next few years, the research team at VTT suggested that GPRS, 3G and wireless local area network (WLAN) will all be accessible via multinetwork terminals. This will be necessary because network coverage will not be uniform. Users may have access to high-speed connections in their offices, but have to revert to slower, GPRS networks when moving outside urban areas.
The roaming technology that will facilitate access to a range of different network platforms is termed fourth generation (4G), but VTT claims that when 5G is up and running, it will quickly supercede 3G mobile.
The researchers do not expect users to be able to view a movie or play a video game in real time even on 5G networks, but rather that they could download large files relatively quickly and view them on their handsets at their convenience.
