We may not need 5G Speeds by 2020: Here’s why
I discovered this after I attended the Future of Wireless conference in London, where a roundtable discussion with the title “Do we need 5G?” caught my eye. I couldn’t imagine anyone would argue that we didn’t need 5G. What kind of luddite wouldn’t be practically priapic about the possibility of downloading a 4K resolution movie in 10-seconds?
I was wrong. Not only do people dislike 5G, I actually agree with a lot of the arguments against it. 5G, for all its super-fast speed, isn’t going to change any of the biggest problems wireless users have.
Milbourn said now is not the time for 5G, and that the reasons Howard pitched as why we need it so soon were actually reasons why we don’t. What’s happening, according to Milbourn’s argument, is network operators, manufacturers, and component companies are selling 5G using tech the vast majority don’t care about, really understand, or actually believe they need — the Internet of Things being a prime example.
Why? Because networks want the control and the chance to charge more money for a new service, manufacturers want us to buy next generation tech (4G LTE? Who cares! I need a 5G phone even if there isn’t any coverage), and chip manufacturers like Intel want another stab at gaining some market share.
“I do think the industry needs to investigate new technologies,” Milbourn clarified. “What I’m questioning is the process and the pace. It’s costly and slow, and driven to meet unquantified consumer demand.”
In other words, it’s the answer to their problems, not ours. We’re being sold a new technology that we don’t really need, while networks ignore the things we do.
All this was delivered to a room full of people who work in the mobile industry, who you’d expect to be fully invested in 5G and the future of high speed mobile data connections. You’d expect a stunned silence and a hostile atmosphere. What you got was the opposite. Milbourn’s words were welcomed, and some eyes were opened.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/why-we-dont-need-5g-in-2020/