The mobile industry is in the process of massive transformation, creating vast new capabilities that will benefit businesses and society as a whole. The step from 3G to 4G was dramatic, and the advances the industry is unleashing, initially in LTE and then in 5G, will be even greater.
Standards bodies have not yet specified 5G; that process is not expected until the 2020 timeframe. But engineers have demonstrated many of 5G’s expected capabilities, and some operators have stated they will deploy pre-standard networks for fixed applications as early as 2017.
5G will not replace LTE, but in most deployments will co-exist with it through at least the late-2020s with the two technologies tightly integrated in a manner transparent to users.
This white paper was first published on 4G Americas website