Day Dreaming 5G

Asoke K Laha, President & CEO of Interra Information Technologies

Technology gazing is one of my favorite hobbies. It is something like day dreaming. I would recommend to all those who do not have any idle time except their office or business work, to indulge in this game, whatever time that they can extract from their busy schedules. I can assure that they will not be disappointed;  it will broaden their horizons of thinking and imagination.  I can assure you that it would help you to  travel miles away from where you are to a new world of fantasy and innocent delights.

I often visualize the impossible: could I travel to the US in one hour, using a space shuttle, which can go faster than light or sound  through the outer space; my walking in Mars, chatting with an aliens through mono syllables, etc. Those dreams may have different subjects, fantasies but inevitable focus is on technology.

One day, while day dreaming a strange thought occurred to me. Why should I think about the impossible that may or may not happen in my life time? Why shouldn’t I dream about something that is going to unfold any time either this month, year or at the most by early next year?

Thought about 5G came to me not as a dream but mostly driven by a feeling that I should know more about that innovative platform, which is going to be a reality any time from  now. 5G is generally seen as the fifth generation cellular network technology that provides broadband access. Yet it has a dream quotient.

More than the dream content, 5G has let loose both corporate and trade wars. Those who follow technology tractions would vouch for the huge investments that corporations across the world are making to get the first mover advantage in 5G space. Some of them may succeed in their attempts and an equal number of them would come as a cropper in the race. That is part of the game in a highly competitive technology landscape.

5G brings three innovative aspects: greater speed to move more data, better responsive capacity and ability to connect with more devices and equipments. There is always a lag between introduction of one generation and unfolding of its utilities. Video calls  using  LTE  platforms came around in 2013 only.  I believe that the last word on 4G is still not spoken. There can be many more applications on the anvil. That way, I believe all Gs are an investment for the next decades. Every succeeding application is an improvement of the earlier one, an accumulated knowledge, a disruption that can be highly beneficial to the society.

5G with its  high speed, responsiveness and  capacity  to support  a wide range of applications and technologies can script a paradigm shift. 5G mobile download speed is around 50 times faster than existing 4G LTE technology. It can accommodate tens of billions of connected devices, smart objects and embedded sensors, thereby giving a critical push to the Internet of Things (IoTs).

A number of companies are vigorously engaged in the development and testing of 5G equipments. One among them is Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunication equipment and services company. The company is  developing 5G hardware and undertaking field trials and research programs with mobile operators around the world. Yet another company in the fray is Nokia Corporations, a Finnish telecommunications equipment and data networking company. Nokia has entered advanced testing phases on new 5G radio access products for eventual deployment by mobile operators around the world. Nokia expects to launch 5G capabilities on top of some 4G LTE networks in 2019 with full 5G roll out in the following years.

Qualcomm Inc. is another company heavily into developing 5G. The chip maker, some say is ahead of other companies in chip making for 5G. Sprint is another Corporation readying itself to the challenge. Its 5G will be on the 2.5GHz band, and will launch its network  first in four  cities in May, followed by five more in June in the US. Another competitor is  T-Mobile, which is  building a nation-wide 5G network on the 600MHz and 28GHz bands starting some point in 2019, with full national coverage by 2020. That way, there is no dearth of  research and development on 5G. More and more companies are getting onto the bandwagon to get a pie from the exponential market,  5G will unleash.

Many of the Chinese technology companies are pariahs in the US, for that matter in the West. The grapevine had it that Trump is determined to empower the US corporations to derive the first mover advantage in 5G. More than that, he wants to deny any advantage  to the Chinese technology firms, which are blocked in one way or the  other in entering the US or European market.

In the ensuing debate, I often ask a question whether the mankind really needs such innovations and breakthroughs, which will gradually reduce their involvement in executing day to day activities. Will human being become redundant in this larger technology canvass? Should such innovations and disruptions breed mistrust and hatred among people and countries? Should  a highly networked civilization deny its inhabitants their private space?

For a while, assume a world when Uber, Ola and their pedigrees will come out with a driverless car which runs on a smart road. One need not have a driver, a traffic police to regulate the traffic, signals at cross roads, the whole paraphernalia of  vehicle inspectors, mechanics, workshops etc. The whole gamut of activities will be undertaken by machine since one vehicle can intelligently connect with billions of sensors  fixed in other vehicles, roads, lamp posts and what have you. Also, visualize a situation, when you can intent from a centralized system or an aggregator the services of an assistant to help you in the household work. A robot can knock at your door in ten minutes, which will make you the best culinary delight of your choice and can act as your bartender and many other things. At the end of the day, one may yearn to see a human being coming to your rescue or nurse you when you are sick, give you tender care when you really need that care. Yes, I can day dream about that situation. You may also do the same.