Software Networks

6Wi-Fi and 5G

5G has not yet been standardized, and this standardization is not expected to come into force before 2020. However, it is possible, even now, to obtain a fairly clear picture of what 5G will offer, by looking at the numerous R&D projects in this field. Figure 6.1 represents the different steps to achieve 5G. Starting from the origin of mobile networks, there was analog circuit-switched 1G, then digital circuit-switched 2G, followed by digital packet-switched 3G, with the exception of operator voice signals. With 4G, we see the move to 100% IP technology, even for voice signals, and 4G also handles multimedia applications. Finally, 5G offers increased data rates, but above all, allows billions of things to be connected.

Figure 6.1. The different wireless solutions

In Figure 6.1, we also see two other directions taken by mobile networks. The first is WiMAX, normalized by the IEEE 802.16 working group. However, this initiative failed – not so much from the technological standpoint, but definitely so from the political perspective, given the power of mobile networks operators who have chosen the 3GPP as a standardizing body, and the trend visible across 1 to 5G. The second direction is Wi-Fi, which exhibits very promising behavior, and sells hundreds of millions of components every single day. The Wi-Fi family is currently expanding to include increasingly high data ...