EE has reportedly started the research on 5G with plans to make it available for subscription by 2022, while other carriers are still bragging about their 4G networks.
The company said that it requires at least 10 years to research and develop a network technology with all the physical infrastructures needed before making it available to public.
Being a member of the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey, EE is gearing up to make major contribution towards the development of 5G network.
Prof. Andy Stutton, the principal network architect of EE says that 5G networks would be 1,000 to 5,000 times faster than the 4G networks. It would offer data rates of up to 100Gbps to connect multiple devices and have all of them running without slowing down. For instance, videos could start instantly without buffer time. The time taken to transport data from one point to another point on the network would be 1-10 milliseconds while it takes up to 60 milliseconds currently.
Stutton said in a statement to the Telegraph, “Imagine a scenario where you’re putting up a new building and there are a number of bricks in that building. Why don’t we replace a number of those bricks with things that look like bricks, but are actually remote radios?”
“Communications infrastructure can also be integrated into lampposts.”
EE’s 4G portfolio has more than 3 million subscribers and is yet cover some areas. However, the company’s operations for developing 5G networking are already underway.
The bottom line is that the company is planning to offer 5G coverage across the whole nation including rural areas which still depend on fixed-line broadband. EE has also assured that big buildings and stadiums will also have good connectivity.
Stutton also said that the networks will become more flexible on the programming front by altering themselves with virtual changes without a need to change the physical infrastructure.
