STUDY PAPER ON 5G NETWORKS: FUTURE ASPECTS

Abstract

The communication network and service environment of 2020 will be infinitely richer and more complex than that of today. Our expectation is that in 2020 the network infrastructure will be capable of connecting everything according to a multiplicity of application specific requirements: People, things, processes, computing centers, content, knowledge, information, goods, in a flexible, truly mobile, and powerful way. The future will encompass connected sensors, connected vehicles, smart meters and smart home gadgets way beyond our current experience of tablet and Smartphone connectivity. European industry and collaborative research and roll-out are a precondition for the 5th generation of communication systems (5G). It is a threat not only for the telecom sector, it jeopardizes the short- and long-term success of the entire industry of Europe, as telecom infrastructure and 5G are the basis for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 (the Industrial Internet). While Europe leads in 5G technology development and standardization, Europe lead in the deployment of new communication systems in 4G/LTE as well as 5G itself, which will emerge 2018 (first pre-standardized network trials with pre-commercial hardware) and 2020 (first networks with commercial hardware). This requires a very ambitious pan-European target that could galvanize Europe’s telecoms industry.