Vodafone: 5G smartphone uncertainty means focus on core network and IoT | TechRadar
It’s this uncertainty that means Vodafone is relaxed about a possible 2020 UK launch date and is more excited about how 5G will change its network – at least for now. It acknowledges 5G is a buzzword, but believes this shouldn’t detract from its ability to be a “gamechanger” for the mobile industry.
Petty shares the conventional wisdom that 5G will enable revolutionary new applications thanks to its ultrafast speeds, enhanced capacity and ultra-low latency, but also cautions that when the first 3G networks were being built and 4G was being standardised, it was impossible to foresee the impact that smartphones would have.
Early 5G networks will use new radio technologies but still connect to the same core network as 4G. This will mean faster mobile broadband speeds, but the truly transformational aspects will rely on a rethinking of how core networks are built.