Although global operators are still laboring to comprehensively expand 4G network coverage to every feasible market, it isn’t too soon to begin working toward the inevitable deployment of 5G.
Strategy Analytics announced this week that there is no better time than now for industry players to position to win the 5G race.
The Strategy Analytics Wireless Networks & Platforms (WNP) service report, “Is the 5G Race Beginning?,” recommends that companies start now with their strategies to influence the definition of the requirements for the new generation systems and to ensure that R&D spend translates into strong 5G patent positions.
So far, Samsung is the latest industry player to have announced its 5G preparatory efforts. Ericsson and NTT DoCoMo are making progress on 5G research as well. And key Chinese industry players may not be far behind either.
“The official process of 5G standardization should be launched in 2015-2016 time frame, to be kicked off at ITU-R WRC-15. So all current ‘5G’ activities are only a warm-up before the official process,” explains Guang Yang, Senior Analyst for Wireless Networks & Platforms. “But these warm-up activities are important for the industry to build technical consensus and to prepare the ecosystem. It is also a key period for the technology giants in the industry to predict the core components of the future system and to secure related patents.”
“The next two years will see significant movement between industry players as the building blocks of 5G are researched and defined,” added Susan Welsh de Grimaldo, Director of Wireless Networks & Platforms. “Big EU companies and East Asian players (China, Japan and Korea) are already developing their 5G visions. It will be interesting to see what strategies emerge from North America. In particular, the plans of Qualcomm and Intel, the two chipset giants, should be closely watched.”
