Telecommunication technologies have come a long way, especially with the release of the new 5G technology. 5G is the newest mobile technology with a broadband level internet connectivity module, that has the chance to change the internet landscape. Bringing various ideas, such as the internet of things, to a possible reality, 5G is a revolution in the I.T. sector.
But as we know, the world of technology is very volatile nowadays. Where it took us a couple of decades to go from 2G to 3G, Leap to 5G from 3G happened within a decade. We won’t be overdoing it if we say the next generation of technology is around the corner. In this article, we talk about the technologies of the past, present, and future in the telecommunication sector.
The past
History of telecommunication can be traced back to the early stages of the industrial revolution, with the invention of telegram and then later, with the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. Later on, in the 20th century, with the invention of the radio wave, a new window of opportunity emerged. Up until the 1980s, the combination of these technologies was limited to voice transferring.
In the ’90s the first leaps were being taken to realize the full potential of the wireless technologies. Text-based communications were first introduced. 2G first enabled internet use in our mobile phones via G.P.R.S. technology and later with the faster E.D.G.E. technologies.
3G started to roll out in the early 2000s. It showed a significant upgrade on the 2G technology. Video streaming, video calls, etc. services first became available under this technology.
4G was the last generation before 5G. This technology puts a real emphasis on the internet. With a significant upgrade on the internet speeds, 4G enabled better video communication, smooth online gaming, live video streaming, and most of the features we now see around us. Even though 5G is out, 4G is still the main technology in use. As it will take some time for 5G to fully take over.
The present: 5G technology
5G is short for 5th generation. 5G technology is the latest model of telecommunication technology in the world. 5G is essentially being considered as a high-speed internet service using radio waves.
We talked about 4G technology. The 5G technology provides almost ten times the speed of 4G internet – and that is very impressive for wireless service. Because 4G was able to provide an almost 30-250 Mbit/s internet speed, now 5G for the first time is providing a Gbit per second data transfer capability using wireless methods.
This is revolutionary, because- other than optical cable operated broadband internet, no other technology was able to transfer data this fast. 5G technology being wireless, is now able to bring this service to our hand, in our mobile phones and laptops.
Being as fast as it is, 5G has some catch too. It will provide service in 3 bands. The low band internet will be slightly better than the current 4G speeds, above 250 Mbit per second. The mid-band almost reaches the Gbit bandwidth, with close to 900 Mbit per second speed. The high band is the most interesting aspect, as it reaches Gbit per second transfer rate.
This capability comes with some restrictions. To achieve such a high speed, a lot of mobile towers need to be set up in a small area. This is why, mid-band and the small band is now given priority, as they don’t require as much infrastructure. High band can also be achieved by building on the existing mid and low band infrastructures.
This level of speed has opened the door for many possibilities. One of them is the internet of things or I.O.T. It is a border concept of machine to machine or M.2.M. concept. The I.O.T. proposes an internet controlled lifestyle.
If we use households as a concept example- we use many electronic devices, such as air conditioning, tv, fridge, sound-systems, etc. that can be connected to the internet and controlled from a single device like your mobile phone. Security systems in households and business places can be controlled remotely using the I.O.T. concept.
This way 5G technology has the potential to change how we live our lives. But, even the 5G isn’t the end. What does the future hold for us?
The future
We already said the future is unpredictable in today’s pace of tech revolution. 5G is the big thing now, but what might be the next big thing that blows 5G out of the water? Of course, traditional researchers are already looking into 6G or 6th generation of telecommunication, with even better internet speed.
An alternative view of the terrestrial network could be satellite-based communication. In the past, space technology was very sophisticated. But with the turn of age, it has become more affordable and private companies are venturing extra-terrestrial modes of internet. Many companies such as SpaceX, Apple, and Amazon have shown interest in such technology.
First, we talk about apple-fi. Termed as the wifi killer, apple fi could replace wifi, claims nobismreviews. This uses satellites installed in the lower orbit to provide a super-high-speed internet to your phone. Apple has already invested in acquiring some lower orbit satellites, that can help provide the internet at extremely low-cost.
The next satellite-based concept is from Elon Musk’s very famous SpaceX company. It is termed as ‘Starlink’. Using SpaceX’s own rockets, the tech giant plans to put almost 42,000 satellites in space. The plan is to provide internet access to almost all of the areas on the earth. There are places where you cannot access high-speed internet or any internet at all, due to the remoteness. Starlink wants to provide affordable internet for everyone, everywhere. Even though the speed of the internet isn’t much, still it could bring almost 4g equivalent internet to very remote places, which are not reachable via traditional networks.
Even though 5G itself hasn’t fully emerged yet, we are already looking to the future. The target is to bring everyone in the world able to access high-speed stutter-free internet. With this goal in mind, we venture to find even faster and more adaptable telecommunication solutions.