The goal is for next generation mobile standards related to “5G” technology to be ready by 2020. That’s the deadline for when the International Telecommunications Union is expected to set standards many claim will enable a seamlessly connected society, one where every “thing” is part of a larger system of internet-enabled devices. The impending standards are expected to help realize what is, to many, only a vague phrase with unlimited possibility: the “internet of things.” Variations of this technology will use physical sensors and actuators to create a worldwide spiderweb of information being sent to the ever-growing cloud whose shade continues to expand.
The new set of standards are expected to take mobile data speeds to new limits, improving even past what the impressive LTE standard brought us in late 2008. Perhaps even more importantly, the new standard will allow for an increase in network efficiency by providing better network performance at lower costs.
But before all of that can happen, before the headache is taken out of 4K video streaming and machines quietly engage in constant conversation with each other, a set of requirements must be set. Dozens of organizations around the world have been formed to help establish research requirements and set the way for the creation of the next generation of mobile.
Here are two of the biggest organizations expected to help write 5G standards.
International Telecommunications Union
“IMT for 2020 and beyond” is the phrase organizations are getting behind to help provide a schedule for the 5G standardization process. The term, International Mobile Telecommunications, was used with the release of 4G standards (IMT-Advanced). It’s an initiative created and spearheaded by the ITU for the 2020 development deadline of what will be marketed as 5G.
What this means for the dozens of organizations engaged in testing standards is that 2020 is the deadline to submit suggestions.