5G Standards Approved by 3GPP.

First 5G standards have been approved by 3GPP.

10:44 02 January 2018

3GPP, the organisation that set standards for wireless network technologies, has recently approved first 5G standards, paving the way for the transition from 4G LTE to 5G NR. The fifth-generation network is expected to be up to 10 times faster than 4G, enabling it to support not just mobile broadband but also Internet of Things (IoT).

 

 

The approval took place at a meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. The standards define channel coding, waveforms and modulation techniques. Matt Branda, the director of technical marketing at Qualcomm, said that the standards are also set to address advanced antenna techniques that will allow for access to spectrum that hasn’t traditionally been usable for mobile networks.

 

 

Meanwhile, a recent congressional hearing on 5G explored the possibility that the new technology may expand digital divide. Coleman Bazelon, a principal at The Brattle Group, said that the cost of providing 5G service to lower-income areas may have to be subsidised by the government. “When there is a public policy to make sure that it's provided to rural areas, the federal government is going to have to step in and ensure it,” Bazelon said.