BT & Huawei partner on 5G research

5G will be the fifth generation of mobile network, and is expected to dramatically out-do the performance of the current 3G and 4G networks. In fact, Ericsson predict that 5G’s latency will be around one millisecond – un-perceivable to a human and about 50 times faster than 4G. Telecoms giant BT & Huawei have now joined together to conduct ‘pioneering’ research into 5G.

The two companies will explore how the faster network connection can be applied, as well as the technical and commercial advantages to supporting 5G connections. BT will host Huawei at its development centre in Ipswich where they will explore various aspects of 5G such as the ability to use it for machine-to-machine (M2M), Internet of Things (IoT) and security technologies.

“We are determined to maximise the potential of 5G for our customers, so collaborative research has a key role to play as the technology develops.” – Gavin Patterson, BT CEO.

What are the key benefits?

Once 5G is up and running, it will be able to carry more data, at higher speeds, and will be able to move around obstacles, giving you greater coverage. 5G is expected to be capable of delivering extremely fast data with estimates between 10 – 50 Gbit/s compared with today’s average 4G download speed of 15 Mbit/s. In fact, back in 2013 Samsung tested 5G at 1Gbps and journalists reported that a HD movie could be downloaded in less than 30 seconds.

Fast track to 2014 and Samsung set a mobile speed record of 7.5Gb/s in another 5G trail, while estimates predict the speed will reach 10Gb/s, with transfer rates as high as 800Gb/s further down the line, taking your download time of a full length film to around a second!

5G release

The first 5G networks are due to be launched commercially next year throughout Europe, and worldwide by 2020 – including the UK.

Did you know?

In the UK, operators (including BT), manufacturers (Huawei, Samsung) have contributed more than £70 million of investment into 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey, just a 20 minute drive from the Callmaster Mobile offices, to ensure the country is prepared for the new technology.

The centre is home to more than 170 researchers and has attracted over £70 million of investment, which includes more than £12 million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. It is the world’s largest academic research centre dedicated to next generation mobile and wireless connectivity.