Move Over 4G, Finland is Building the First 5G Test Network
The communications age has gained rapid speed over the past decade. From a mere 2G GSM connectivity, we have reached the mobile broadband range of 4G. We now have the fastest wireless access to the internet ever, but the folks at Finland seem to think that it can be much faster. A Finnish research institute is building a 5G network for test purposes.
5G or Fifth generation of mobile telecommunications technology will of course offer increased speeds, but it will also be less draining on resources. It is also known as ‘tactile internet’. 5G is expected to be 100 times faster than the fastest 4G. It would also require smaller antennae and its signals can be bounced off buildings and solid surfaces.
The test network is being constructed in the Finnish city Oulu, which is situated in the Northwestern part of the country. It is being built by the University of Oulu in cooperation with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. VTT will be working on a closed private network whereas the University will be setting up an open public network.
With the closed network, VTT will test out and access the potentials and challenges of their technology. The public network, on the other hand, will test the network’s ability to handle heavy traffic. The work on the network construction will begin on February 18. The technology is expected to reach mainstream markets by 2020.
