Get the facts on 5G at Mobile World Congress

Sue Marek

In just five years industry forecasters are predicting that we will begin to see the first commercial deployments of 5G networks. As of today, there is no 5G standard and the world's various standards bodies are working on a vision of 5G.

Despite that, many companies are already working on 5G and establishing the criteria for what they want 5G to be. Chinese vendor Huawei said late last year said that it will conduct a 5G trial during the FIFA World Cup in 2018 with Russian operator MegaFon. And earlier this year SK Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding with Nokia to conduct joint research and development on 5G with the ultimate goal of demonstrating the technology in 2018 and commercially launching it in 2020.

How will 5G be different from 4G? Most experts say that 5G will not necessarily be an air interface overhaul, as was the case with 3G and 4G. Instead, many say that 5G will include LTE-Advanced characteristics and incorporate other technologies such as millimeter wave, Wi-Fi and more.

Perhaps more important than the 5G tech specs is the 5G vision, which many say includes a world where all machines are wirelessly connected to other machines and mission-critical apps are prioritized over less-critical communications. 5G will also be a world where downloads speeds will surpass 20 Gbps and latency will be mere milliseconds.

But don't just read about what the next wave of wireless technology will be, hear about it from the top tech experts in the world. Join me at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, for "The Path to 5G: Defining the Next-generation of Wireless Networks" luncheon panel that will be held on Tuesday, March 3, from 12:30 p.m. until 2 p.m. at the Fira Congress Hotel, which is just a five-minute walk from the main Fira Gran Via MWC venue.

I have compiled a great group of speakers for the panel, including:

  • Adam Koeppe, VP of network planning and strategy at Verizon Communications
  • Tom Keathley, SVP of network planning and products at AT&T
  • Eduardo Esteves, VP product management at Qualcomm
  • Alex Jinsung Choi, EVP and Head of Corporate R&D Center, SK Telecom
  • Asha Keddy, VP and GM of Standards and Advanced Technology at Intel's Mobile Communications Group

But aside from these compelling speakers, there is another reason you should attend this panel discussion--I've structured it to include plenty of opportunity for members of the audience to ask our panelists questions. And of course, we will also be serving a great buffet lunch!

Please join me for what I believe will be one of the most interesting discussions at Mobile World Congress. And don't delay, we have limited spaced. Click here to register. --Sue