As we approach the inevitable launch of 5G wireless connections and the real next generation communications alternative, we have to remember that without the proper infrastructure, this connectivity is going nowhere fast. To that end, Nokia and NTT (News - Alert) DOCOMO got together to develop 4.5GHz communications, the start of a complete 5G infrastructure, in Japan.
With the rise of 5G and the newest next generation communications system in play, getting the needed background material in place will be vital in the surprisingly short term. Nokia (News - Alert) and NTT DOCOMO will be starting out with interoperability testing using several different vendors' technologies.
That's just the start of things, though, as the next generation communications advance continues on as Nokia will be conducting 5G tests backed up by NTT DOCOMO throughout the rest of this year, focusing its attention mainly on busy tourist and high-traffic areas like shopping and business locations. There will even be a set of events planned by NTT DOCOMO to help drive connectivity testing.
Said testing will largely be accomplished by a combination of the Intel (News - Alert) 5G Mobile Trial Platform and several Nokia technologies including 5G FIRST and the Nokia AirScale base station. The systems will draw on the 4.5GHz band, which Japan is putting up as one of the candidate bands for offering 5G service in the region. An upcoming trade show will also serve as demonstration ground for the technology, with Nokia showing off low-latency 4K video streaming along with other applications for 5G connectivity.
Nokia Japan's Jae Won commented “This trial is an important milestone for the development of 5G in Japan, which will be one of the first countries in the world to adopt the technology. Furthermore, the initiative is an important step forward in our collaboration with NTT DOCOMO, as well as other key technology partners, as we develop a technology that will meet the ever-growing demands of huge numbers of people living in megacities.”
Testing cannot begin too soon here; if commercial rollouts are indeed to take place in 2020—with some projecting for a 2019 launch instead, though these projections are a bit dubious—then the infrastructure for this next generation communications technology must be laid as soon as possible. Without that infrastructure, the commercial rollouts will be all but impossible. Since there's almost certainly going to be some technological speed bumps along the way—most any new technology comes with these—the end result must be early-stage testing with an eye toward catching problems early.
Thankfully, that's just what Nokia and NTT DOCOMO seem to be doing here. With these early tests, problems will likely be caught, and the whole system will function better as a result.