5G Standard Ratified Six Months Early With Industry Push

4G is dead, long live 5G! Or something to that extent. While the rest of the world is still trying to settle on the current 4G technology, the industry is already trying to push the next generation 5G forward. And while it might take years before it reaches the same reach that 4G has now, there's really no reason not to get the ball rolling as early as possible. That's why the standards body known as the 3GPP has just ratified a major part of the 5G standard, months earlier than it projected earlier this year.

It's not that the group ratified the non-standalone 5G NR (new radio) standard that's impressive. It's the fact that they were able to do so nearly half a year in advance. Earlier this year, the 3GPP considered the discussion and the debates that will be involved and estimated that it would take them up to summer of 2018 to reach this point.

But companies rallying behind 5G were more than eager to get started. After all, they were already starting to test networks and hardware in public. They just needed an industry standard to invoke. The companies, which included the likes of Nokia, Samsung, LG, Ericsson, AT&T, T-Mobile, China Mobile, and NTT DoCoMo, among others, wanted to fast track the process. And so by March, they resolved to do whatever it takes to get the standard approved before the year ends. And so they did, with some ays to spare.

It's not the end of the road yet as far as the 5G standard is concerned, however. There were items that the 3GPP agreed to put on hold to meet the December deadline, and those need to be taken up immediately after the holidays. And then there's the Standalone (SA) version of 5G NR that's scheduled to be completed by June next year. But even without those, companies and industry members will be able to forge ahead to also fast track the adoption of 5G in the market, whether you're ready for it or not.

VIA: Fierce Wireless