4G development group comes together

While much of the world awaits 3G to grace their airwaves, a coalition of companies in the wireless industry are putting together a nonprofit organization in the UK this month to promote the development of 4G. The "Next Generation Mobile Networks" group, consisting of founding members KPN Mobile, Orange, Sprint Nextel, Vodafone, and T-Mobile plus add-ons China Mobile and NTT DoCoMo, is looking to 2010 for the commercial deployment of 4G devices -- that's less than four years away, folks. We're somewhat skeptical 4G is going to come together for any substantial population in that amount of time, but just in case, we're going start compiling our list of things to do with 2.5Gbps of WWAN bandwidth now.

[Via EE Times]

[cycomachead @ Jul 1st 2006 9:57PM]

man- now I'm gonna be waiting
CAN"T WAIT !!!!!!!!!

[martin @ Jul 1st 2006 11:22PM]

If the US just skipped 3G alltogether and went straight to 4G I'd be plenty satisfied. We're already too far behind to play catch up.

[G-Unit @ Jul 1st 2006 11:26PM]

Sounds pretty good if you are like hacking stuff on your mobile phone...who needs a network that fast??...yet

[Joe @ Jul 2nd 2006 12:45AM]

And 4G is...?

[cannedsoda @ Jul 2nd 2006 1:26AM]

"...who needs a network that fast??"

Hmm, I think Netflix would love if everyone had 2.5Gbs to downloadstream some DVD and HD-DVDs...

[Wonderkid @ Jul 2nd 2006 3:06AM]

This is great news as long as it's a GLOBAL standard, and, like the actual Internet, is OPEN, allowing creatives and entrepreneurs to build VoIP, P2P and other services ontop of the network. While many falsely believe that WiFi based technologies would or will bring about wireless utopia, we all know that the only way forward are longer range technologies with slower uplink speeds (such as 4G) that can be complimented by WiFi/WiMax. After all, you are more likely to want to upload something from a static location, such as your desk or home. Long live the 4G/WiFi handover chip. Texas? Broadcom? Intel? Do your thang!

[neXus @ Jul 2nd 2006 7:43AM]

That's a bit far-fetched. Most countries don't even offer 3G yet, and companies such as Orange and Vodafone are already dreaming about the fourth generation mobile platform? Keep dreaming...

[sam cook'd @ Jul 2nd 2006 2:08PM]

wat i dont get is why every1 is complaining??? this is great news for serveral reasons

it gives the consumer more choices.....why spend $60 a month for cable/DSL @ home when for the same price i can get the same speeds wirelessly from any where

it would force cable/DSL operators to either drop prices significantly or raise speeds significantly or probably BOTH

with a unified standard being worked on early you dont have standards competing (GSM/CDMA ..UMTS(HSDPA)/EVDO-rx)that means the prices of the equipment should be lower since everybody is manufactoring the same equipment(just probably different frequnecies but if sum how that could b unified as well that would be even more amazing)

and with the bandwith afford by 4G your cell phone service provider could also offer your wireless IPtv and simular functions that Verizion wireline and SBC are trying to get into

more competion

more choices

consumers FTW!!

ps dont make comments on spelling and grammer its sad to see ppl ignore the big picture of a message because they dont like someones writing style

[Jamie @ Jul 2nd 2006 3:07PM]

I mean really, why make a pre-emptive strike about grammar complaints? Surely anyone can see that typing like a teenager is fine these days ;-)

[sam cook'd @ Jul 2nd 2006 4:17PM]

hey im 21 still in college and i am on my SK 95% of the time i hate to transition from my quick typing english to my more proper english....hey im just being me lol

[Jamie @ Jul 2nd 2006 5:24PM]

I envy your sk working properly. I'm in the uk, and mine doesn't have a catalogue!

[Tim @ Jul 2nd 2006 11:50PM]

OK. How many of you people work for cellphone companies and are now trying to create this artificial sense of demand amongst our youth ? Don't everyone raise their hands now.

[Galley @ Jul 3rd 2006 8:21AM]

I'm still waiting for Sprint's 3G Power Vision.

[Miacol @ Jul 3rd 2006 10:22AM]

AM I the only one that noticed that Sprint-Nextel is the only CDMA company listed in the list? Is this a sign of things to come for the company? Cingular will probably also join after the conversion to AT&T Wireless is completed.

[digitl lantern @ Oct 6th 2006 11:56AM]

4G will arrive in the mainstream in 2010. The rule of G�s is that each wireless cellular generation principally runs 10 years. Our era of 3G is from 2000 - 2010.