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FCC starts the process for making '5G' gigabit mobile data a reality
We're barely seeing 4G take hold here in the States and the FCC has begun the process to push into 5G for mobile data. The government's communications council voted unanimously to start looking into accessing the higher-than-24GHz frequency spectrum that was previously thought to be, as Reuters notes, unusable by mobile networks. So what are the benefits? Gigabit internet connections on the go, for starters -- something our current sub-3GHz spectrum can't quite handle -- similar to the ones Samsung just tested. Yeah, now you're excited. The feds believe that using these "millimeter waves" would allow for higher bandwidth for more people and devices at speeds that outclass most homes' broadband.
Samsung's experimental 5G network delivers 150MB per second at freeway speeds
5G isn't quite a thing yet. Industrial standards and the finer details are yet to be completely cemented, but that's not stopping companies with a thumb in the carrier network pie trying to show us some crazy (but awesome) ideal of future wireless... ness. Samsung's next in line, and it's been able to crank its 5G network download speeds to 940MB while stationary, which is bananas. However, the company then decided to take the testing outdoors, to the racetrack, and apparently notched download speeds of around 150MB per second, while racing around at 100KPH (roughly 62MPH). Samsung says these impressive figures are due to the high-frequency 28GHz signal used. Previously, this meant a short range, but the company says it's got around that weakness with "Hybrid Adaptive Array Technology" that boosts the range of the signal. And if that collaboration between Korea and Europe still stands, these ridiculous on-the-go speeds could well make their way outside Asia. Please. Please.
London will be a 5G city by 2020, promises Boris
As London becomes the bright shining center of the European tech scene, it's only natural that the city would like to maintain its place at the top of the pile. That's why mayor Boris Johnson is pledging that London will roll out a 5G network across the city by 2020. It's part of a long-term infrastructure investment plan that'll see connectivity given equal prominence to more conventional resources like transport, energy and water. At the same time, broadband speeds for each home in the capital will be made public alongside data from the networks in order to find communication blackspots that require additional work. Of course, given that 5G as a standard has yet to be defined, it'll be interesting to see if the mayor can make good on his promise -- unlike the one about turning London into a giant WiFi hotspot by 2012.
Europe and South Korea will share their 5G know-how
There's a fine line between being fashionably late and arriving just as the party's over, which is the problem Europe suffered when it came to implementing 4G mobile networks. That's why the EU is now teaming up with South Korea to co-operate in developing 5G in the hope of getting back to the front of the line. In addition to sharing cash and know-how on developing the standard, both parties will harmonize radio spectrums to avoid the problems with roaming that were suffered in the race to implement LTE. Of course, no-one believes that a standard for 5G will be ready for at least another year, but there's a hope that maybe Europe won't be so far behind the US as it was last time.
Samsung, Nokia join 5G trials in Japan, but crazy speeds still far away
We hope you're happy with 4G, because 5G's magical land of unicorns and 10Gbps speeds still isn't coming until 2020 or so. However, Japanese carrier DoCoMo is still hard at work developing the tech and has now begun trials with some formidable hardware allies. Those include Samsung (who already tested 1Gbps 5G hardware in Korea), along with Nokia, Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, to name a few. The group aims to see if high frequency bands (greater than 6GHz) can support speeds up to 10Gbps, even if masses of devices in a small area are vying for bandwidth. The first tests will be limited to an indoor research facility in Japan, then move to outdoor field trials next year. DoCoMo hopes standardization will come in 2016, but there's a lot of hurdles to clear before the mythical 1-second wireless movie download is upon us.
Broadcom's new WiFi chips aim to keep your video streams flowing
All that hardware strewn throughout your crib is only as good as the sum of its parts. Broadcom is one of the firms bent on evolving those parts, and today at CES the company's introducing two new chips that'll pervade the tech of 2014 (even though you likely won't know it). First up is the BCM43569 (2x2 MIMO), which blends 5G WiFi, aka 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 4.1 standards with a USB 3.0 interface. The combo SoC is intended for the next generation of smart TVs and set-top boxes, allowing simultaneous WiFi/BT connections to other devices and ensuring solid video-streaming performance in your airwave-saturated home. The BCM43602 (3x3 MIMO) 5G WiFi chip, which instead uses a PCI Express interface, is destined for future routers and set-top boxes. It, too, is slated to improve the reliability of video streaming over 802.11ac by assuming the brunt of wireless processing work usually executed by those products' internal CPUs. Both new chips also support beamforming for maintaining stronger connections, and are available for OEMs to play with right now.
Daily Roundup: Galaxy Gear and Note 10.1 (2014) reviews, CEATEC 2013, GTA 5 multiplayer and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
NTT DoCoMo's vision of '5G' wireless: 100x faster than LTE, but not until 2020
We knew good and well that Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo would be divulging details about its 5G wireless plans at CEATEC, but the claims that we've stumbled upon here in Chiba are nothing short of bananas. Granted, the operator is making clear that its vision isn't intended to reach implementation until 2020, and it confesses that a 5G standard has yet to be ratified. That said, it's dreaming of a world where its network offers "1000 times the capacity and 100 times the speed as the current network." Representatives for the company told us that the challenge is going to be dealing with range limitations in higher frequency spectrum, but it plans to employ "high-frequency bandwidth by transmitting with a large number of antenna elements." The goal for looking so far forward? It's already seeing an insane appetite for video on networks that can barely maintain poise under the load, and the notion of transferring 4K content to the masses is going to require a substantial upgrade. CEATEC's known as a place that allows companies to dream big and aim for the fences, but we'll be honest -- we'd really, really prefer that 2020 arrived sooner rather than later. Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Broadcom announces WiFi and Bluetooth combo chips for in-car connectivity
Be it PCs, phones, televisions or wearables, if it can go wireless, Broadcom wants in on the action. Today the company has added one more category to that list, and it's the car. Indeed, its new line of wireless chips is specifically catered for automotive use, and is decked out with the latest 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth Smart Ready technologies for smoother streaming between mobile devices and in-car displays. But the technology's scope doesn't stop there. You could also use it for smartphone remote control of your vehicle's settings, high-speed connectivity via LTE hot spots, vehicle-to-infrastructure communications and even the syncing of biometric data to make sure the driver isn't fatigued or drunk when he or she's behind the wheel. Broadcom's current automotive portfolio consists of the BCM89335 5G WiFi / Bluetooth Smart Ready combo chip and the BCM89071 Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart Ready chip, which are now in the sampling stage. Of course, as this is still in development, we're not sure just which cars will incorporate such tech just yet. Seeing as how more cars are getting connected, however, you'll probably see it in action at your local auto dealership sooner than you think. For more on Broadcom's automotive initiative, check out the press release after the break.
NTT DoCoMo to demonstrate its version of 5G at CEATEC in October
NTT DoCoMo's LTE-Advanced network may still be in its infancy, but the company's already preparing for when 150 Mbps is considered slow. Many are looking towards the next-generation of mobile broadband, and DoCoMo has said its ready to reveal its very own 5G "concept" at the CEATEC conference in Japan next month. We don't know if the company is referring to the monstrous 10 Gbps link that has competitor KDDI scratching its head, but "incredible speed, high capacity and low latency" are promised features. In addition, DoCoMo will preview its "winter 2013 / spring 2014" handset line-up and show off work it's been doing in the augment-reality and wearable spaces. We'll be around to browse the booth, of course, and dream of a time when streaming native 4K content over 5G to 21-inch smartphones will be standard. [Thanks, Erwan]
Daily Update for May 13, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
A glimpse of the future: 5G wireless technology in the labs now
Over the past few years, 4G LTE wireless networks that can handle download and upload speeds of up to 75 megabits per second (Mbps) have become increasingly more commonplace. Still, it takes a long time to download movies, and streaming video can be a challenge on today's handsets. Yonhap News reported yesterday that Apple's arch-rival Samsung has achieved success in the lab with 5G speeds in the range of 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), and expects that the technology could eventually provide speeds in the tens of gigabits per second. With wireless data speeds in that range, a full HD movie could be downloaded in seconds. Samsung used 64 antenna elements and operated in the 28 GHz frequency band to accomplish the fast feat, and the technology could be commercially viable by 2020 -- a scant seven years away. Both China and the European Commission want to have 5G technology in place by 2020, so the research being done today points to a very speedy future. Samsung isn't the only company that has played with 5G technology. In February, Japan's NTT DoCoMo announced that it had successfully tested 10 Gbps cellular data speeds last year using an 11 GHz frequency band. The technological advances show that the higher data rates are entirely achievable; now it's up to consumers to help carriers pay for the 4G networks that are still rolling out to make the 5G networks viable in the future. [via AppleInsider]
Samsung ready for 5G rollout in 2020, has reportedly pulled down 1Gbps in tests
LTE might be all the rage right now, but next generation mobile technology is already in the works. According to Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Samsung has successfully tested its 5G platform, pulling down data at 1Gbps in recent tests. The company apparently needed 64 antenna elements to pull the trick off, but says the technology will be available to customers by 2020 -- matching the European Commission's goal quite nicely. It may not be the fastest 5G test we've seen in recent months, but we're not going to scoff at progress.
Upcoming Macs may have 802.11ac WiFi, according to OS X Mountain Lion beta code
Code in the latest 10.8.4 beta version of Mountain Lion discovered by a 9to5 Mac tipster shows OS X support for 802.11ac WiFi, meaning next-gen Macs might contain the tech. Also dubbed 5G, 802.11ac brings speeds as high as 1.3Gbps thanks to beamforming, while also offering more range and robustness compared to its 802.11n predecessor. To date we've seen oodles of routers packing the still-uncertified wireless format, but only a single notebook with the tech has passed through our doors -- the Asus G75VW gaming notebook. That might change with a reference to the standard in the "WiFi-frameworks" folder in Mountain Lion's latest beta, 10.8.4, which was recently sent to developers. Of course, until we see a real Cupertino product packing such a radio, it's just that -- code. [Image credit: 9to5 Mac]
NTT DoCoMo confirms successful 10Gbps wireless test, clears a path to 5G
No, it's not the world's most conspicuous surveillance van -- it's one of the first steps toward 5G data. NTT DoCoMo has just confirmed that the gear-laden vehicle above successfully conducted a 10Gbps wireless test in Ishigaki this December with the help of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The dry run relied on frequencies and bandwidth well outside of usual cellular service, in the 11GHz band with 400MHz of spectrum, but proved that it was possible to blow past the speeds of LTE and LTE-Advanced while moving outdoors; the test used 24 antennas to maintain the link. DoCoMo ultimately hopes for similar speed in frequencies over 5GHz, and it's not shy about hoping the technology will define mobile communication as it improves. Although we're not expecting this kind of breakneck performance in a phone for years, it's good to know that 4G isn't necessarily the end of the line.
European Commission invests €50 million into 5G research with a 2020 target
You're still waiting to get 4G? That's old hat: the European Commission is already thinking about 5G. It's investing €50 million ($65.3 million) into research with the hope that the next-next-generation cellular technology will be a practical reality by 2020. About €16 million ($20.9 million) of that is headed toward METIS, an Ericsson-led alliance hoping to develop wireless with 10 to 100 times the capacity, a similar increase in speed and just a fifth of the lag. Like a UK parallel, though, there's only so much technology talk the Commission can offer at this stage. The funding is as much for regional pride as progress -- officials want 5G to be a Europe-led affair after Asia and North America took center stage on 4G.
UK investigating passive radar system to detect aircraft location, free up 5G spectrum
Ready for a new radar system? The UK could be, if a new study is deemed a success. Thales, a French aerospace company which manufactures traditional radar systems, has received funding from the UK's Technology Strategy Board to study the feasibility of using TV signals to locate planes and choppers through a technology called "passive radar." According to the BBC, the system would monitor the timing of TV signals reflected from aircraft, which would enable equipment to display an exact location, while measuring the Doppler effect would provide speed and direction information. Though it's not based on GPS, the new system would reportedly be more accurate and efficient than what's in use today, while also serving to free up spectrum that could be used for an upcoming 5G network. Unconvinced frequent fliers need not worry, however -- the country's existing radar infrastructure would remain intact throughout the test period, and air traffic control officials won't be switching to the new system unless it's sanctioned, which, considering the significance of such a move, could take some time.
Broadcom's 5G WiFi chips power LG's latest HDTVs
5G WiFi (better known to us as 802.11ac) makes Barry Allen look like a geriatric. Broadcom's been talking up the prowess of its 5G hardware for some time now, but the first chance we'll get to use it is inside LG's latest TVs. Open one up, and you'll find Broadcom's BCM43526 silicon, which promises to offer lag-free HD streaming from the internet or mobile device. The TVs will be making their way into stores across 2013, which'll be your first time to see if it works as well as promised. Update: Broadcom has also let slip that it's licensing Intel's Wireless Display technology in its WLAN chipsets. Of course, now that Santa Clara has made the standard mandatory for its 2013-Ultrabook designs, hardly surprising, Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Broadcom's 2012 Q3 sees $2.13 billion sales turn into a $220 million profit
If you need to borrow a couple of bucks to tide you over until payday, then the folks over at Broadcom should be feeling altruistic. The chip maker's latest financials show that it pulled in $2.13 billion turnover and a cool $220 million profit. While that's more than the $160 million it pulled in in the second quarter, it's a little off the $270 million it made in the same period last year. Given that the company's innovating with both 802.11ac chips and branching out into the wireless headphone business, they might even lend you some cash next month, too.
UK government and industry heavyweights set up 5G Innovation Centre, want to go one better
The UK is almost ready to flip the switch on its first LTE network, but it's determined to be at the forefront of the next-generation, setting up a "5G Innovation Centre" at the University of Surrey. The government announced it's putting up £11.6 million (around $18.6 million) in funding, but another £24 million (around $38.5 million) will be coming from an industry group comprising the likes of Huawei, Samsung, Telefonica, Rohde & Schwarz, Fujitsu and others. The money will allow research to go beyond concept and theory, with the aim that all partners work together to develop and standardize 5G technology, which the university has been looking into for a number of years already. They will focus on energy and spectrum efficiency as well as speed, and although it's early days, 10Gbps has been banded around as a per-tower target, translating to roughly 200Mbps for each connection. Unfortunately, we've also got a number to kill your geek buzz -- it's upwards of a decade away. Still, at least you've got a long time to think about which case you'll be picking up for your 5G-ready Galaxy S XV.
