2008-2010: Initial research and development for 5G began. Early concepts focused on achieving higher data rates, lower latency, and improved connectivity compared to 4G.
Standardization and Trials
2015: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) began defining the requirements for 5G, which included enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC).
2016: The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) started working on the 5G New Radio (NR) specifications. This year marked the official beginning of 5G standardization.
Initial Deployments
2018: The first phase of 5G NR standards (Release 15) was completed by 3GPP. This phase focused on non-standalone (NSA) 5G, which relied on existing 4G infrastructure.
2018: Verizon launched the first commercial 5G service in the United States, offering fixed wireless access (FWA) in select cities.
Commercial Rollout
2019: The first standalone (SA) 5G networks were deployed, which did not rely on 4G infrastructure. South Korea became the first country to launch nationwide 5G services.
2019: Major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint began rolling out 5G services in the United States.
Expansion and Advancements
2020: The deployment of 5G networks accelerated globally. The focus shifted towards expanding coverage and improving network performance.
2020: The first 5G smartphones were released, including the Samsung Galaxy S20.
Ongoing Developments
2021-2023: Continued expansion of 5G networks, with a focus on mid-band and high-band (millimeter wave) frequencies to achieve higher data rates and capacity.
2023: The development of 5G Advanced (Release 18) began, aiming to enhance 5G capabilities further, including improved energy efficiency, network slicing, and support for new use cases like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
Future Prospects
2024 and Beyond: The industry is looking towards 6G, with research focusing on even higher data rates, lower latency, and new applications such as holographic communication and advanced IoT.
