5G wireless internet coming to the UK – hologram calls?

As with all things tech, now that we have 4G internet rolling out across the UK, it’s time to start hankering over 5G. So, when will we see even faster over-the-air internets?

It’s not so long since 3G was a wow but 4G is already seen as being a basic human right, in London at least. The next gen connection of 5G promises up to 1000x the speeds of 4G and download speeds of a blistering 1gbps.

The future is going to be fast, and it will mean great things for cross country collaboration and connectivity whether you live and work in a city or out in the most rural of places.

As well as the likes of us, the regular consumer types, being able to enjoy swift streaming the impact of 5G on businesses will be humongous.

Not only would we have the ability to wirelessly download full length HD movies in seconds, it will enable people to easily connect and work together regardless of their geographical location. Workers will be able to dial in to video conferences without having to search for a hotspot and share chunky files for real-time information sharing.

So when will we get 5G internet?

The UK has already committed to 5G internet, with Britain and Germany making a collaborative deal to help develop a 5G infrastructure for both countries, to remain world technological leaders and to build an “internet of things”.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron had this to say to the Daily Mail regarding 5G and his internet of things:

These are developments that could allow literally billions of everyday objects to talk to each other over the internet – using low-cost, low-power chips.

And this has enormous potential to change our lives. Electricity meters that talk to the grid to get you the best deals. Health monitors that keep an eye on your heart rate. Water pipes that warn of a fall in pressure.

I see the Internet of Things as a huge transformative development – a way of boosting productivity, of keeping us healthier, making transport more efficient, reducing energy needs, tackling climate change.

We are on the brink of a new industrial revolution and I want us – the UK and Germany – to lead it.

Take British ingenuity in software, services and design, add German excellence in engineering and industrial manufacturing and together we can lead in this new revolution.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and part-time entertainer (or is it the other way around?), also committed to bringing 5G connections to Nations Capital by 2020 saying to the Independent;

London is earning a reputation for being the tech capital of Europe and that is why we need to ensure every Londoner is able to access the very best digital connectivity. Rapidly improving the connectivity of this great city is a key part of the Infrastructure Plan for London.

So, by 2020 we should be seeing the first glimpses of this magical 5G beast which will bestow upon us the kind of connections and blistering fast speeds worthy of legend.

As well as the increased speeds the major difference from a user point of view between 4G and 5G other things should be taken in to consideration. For example, higher system spectral efficiency (data volume per area unit), lower battery consumption, lower outage probability (better coverage), high bit rates in larger portions of the coverage area, and lower latencies.

As the demand for these services will surely increase, the environmental impact has to be taken in to consideration too. There’s no point in having a totally networked society if it’s not pleasant to live in.

The extra data handling could also enable 4K, as well as Full HD, links and perhaps open the door for future tech such as holographic communications – hey, you never know!

The full nationwide roll-out across the UK has been planned by companies such as EE for 2022.

Yup, it’s not going to happen overnight, or soon for that matter, but for a up to 1000x speed increase over the current top end 4G connection it should prove worth the wait.

I for one look forward to the day where, no matter my location, I can easily connect online, even if I’m in the darkest depths of the moors, to join in a video call or to even just to catch up with the latest tech news and gadgety reviews.