Posted: 31st Aug, 2006 By: MarkJ
Samsung Electronics has unveiled the world's first fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology via a demonstration on a bus travelling at 36Mph. The demo showed a video steam and Internet access running simultaneously at speeds of up to 100Mbps!
The International Telecommunication Union defines 4G technology as a future wireless telecommunications technology allowing data transfer rates of 1Gbps (Gigabyte per second) at nomadic circumstances and 100Mbps in mobile circumstances.
Compared with 3.5G (Super-3G / HSDPA), which is capable of delivering speeds at up to 2Mbps and possibly 12Mbps in a few years time, the 4G test is clearly many times faster. Even so, operators in the UK will not be jumping on the bandwagon at this early stage.
UK operators suffered as a result of paying too much for 3G technology, which has ultimately proven problematic. Such providers are unlikely to make the same mistake twice and may wait longer for it to mature.
Meanwhile Samsung hopes to bring the technology into commercial use by 2010, although that is reliant upon regulators agreeing the spectrums to be used. Physical development of 4G based mobile handsets should begin earlier, during 2008. Expect big bulky mobiles galore and a return of THE BRICK =).
We don't expect 4G in Europe anytime soon though, what with all the jitters surrounding 3G we probably won't see it for another 6 or 8 years (guesstimate).