Image: Qualcomm via AFP Relaxnews
The coming year will be a pivotal one for 5G, the fifth generation mobile communications standard which will set new bandwidth records. Mobile network operators and mobile phone manufacturers at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, running Jan. 8 to 11, will be unveiling a host of new smart solutions for homes, companies, cars and entertainment, which make use of this new technology.
Smart cities already figured large in discussions at the 2018 CES. This year’s show is expected to be marked by the emergence of practical applications in a range of areas: the internet of things, home automation, corporate environment automation, self-driving cars, entertainment, as well as virtual and augmented reality.
A number of 5G infrastructure projects will be unveiled at Las Vegas, with others expected for the end of February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. At a time when AT&T has only recently launched its network, which for the moment is limited to a dozen cities, Verizon and other competing operators may take advantage of the show to publicize their new offers.
With regard to the first 5G-compatible smartphones, these are also expected to be released in the first quarter of 2019. Hot on the heels of Qualcomm’s presentation of its latest 5G-compatible Snapdragon 855 processor, Chinese manufacturers OnePlus and Xiaomi are already embroiled in a telecom war over who will be the first to bring out a phone featuring this new 5G chip.
The arrival of 5G is set to pave the way for download speeds that are up to 100 times faster than those that are possible under 4G as well as game-changing developments in electronics markets such as very high definition streaming, the widespread adoption of the Internet of things, and the launch of self-driving smart vehicles. JB
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