Mobile By Matthew Humphries Jan. 22, 2014 11:40 am
In the US and across Europe more of us are beginning to enjoy a 4G connection to our smartphones and tablets. But the 4G market is still relatively young and it’s going to be a while yet before we class it as the norm. In South Korea, however, which has been running 4G as a commercial service since 2010, the focus is now firmly on 5G.
The aim is to roll out a 5G service by 2017, and have it available to everyone no later than 2020. In terms of speed, the difference between 4G and 5G is massive. An 800MB file typically takes 40 seconds to download over a 4G connection. On 5G that will be cut to just 1 second.
Such speed comes at a massive cost, though. A $1.5 billion investment is required to get the project off the ground, and the South Korean government is attempting to secure some of the investment from local companies with a vested interest in seeing 5G succeed. SK Telecom and Korea Telecom have been named as potential partners, but it is thought LG and Samsung may also help with the funding. After all, Samsung has already experimented with 5G and achieved a 1Gbps data transfer.
With such speed available, South Koreans can expect to have access to 4K video streaming services alongside not having to wait for any website to load. The government is also talking about a hologram transmission service, which should be interesting to watch develop in the coming years.
While we may all be envious of South Korea getting 5G first, this project should aid other countries when it comes to making the switch. South Korea will lay the groundwork, encounter and solve many of the unforeseen issues, and create a blueprint for rolling out a 5G service for others to follow, hopefully quickly.
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The aim is to roll out a 5G service by 2017, and have it available to everyone no later than 2020. In terms of speed, the difference between 4G and 5G is massive. An 800MB file typically takes 40 seconds to download over a 4G connection. On 5G that will be cut to just 1 second.
Such speed comes at a massive cost, though. A $1.5 billion investment is required to get the project off the ground, and the South Korean government is attempting to secure some of the investment from local companies with a vested interest in seeing 5G succeed. SK Telecom and Korea Telecom have been named as potential partners, but it is thought LG and Samsung may also help with the funding. After all, Samsung has already experimented with 5G and achieved a 1Gbps data transfer.
With such speed available, South Koreans can expect to have access to 4K video streaming services alongside not having to wait for any website to load. The government is also talking about a hologram transmission service, which should be interesting to watch develop in the coming years.
While we may all be envious of South Korea getting 5G first, this project should aid other countries when it comes to making the switch. South Korea will lay the groundwork, encounter and solve many of the unforeseen issues, and create a blueprint for rolling out a 5G service for others to follow, hopefully quickly.
More...
