Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg on the Next Phase in Wireless–5G

What comes after so-called 4G wireless, today’s highest-bandwidth systems (sometimes called LTE)? Even though only a small portion of smartphone users in a few countries so far have 4G, Ericsson, one of the telecoms industry’s leading tech providers, is already deep into planning the next phase. These 5G systems will differ dramatically from those today, as Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg explains in this short Techonomy video. For example, such systems will have the capacity to transmit signals much faster, or, as Vestberg says “low latency.” That will matter in certain uses like sending signals to autonomous vehicles. The network will know it’s a car and that instantaneity is critical. On the other hand, if the connected device is an agricultural sensor in the ground, the signal may be slower and much lower power. Making those distinctions will be part of what 5G is about. Aside from being faster and higher-bandwidth, 5G will have an unprecedented versatility. It will be key element in the coming age of the Internet of Things.