The International Telecommunications Union has agreed on the basic framework for defining what will eventually become the 5G wireless data specification. The ITU will use the name "IMT-2020" to refer to the roadmap, which, as the name implies, it hopes to have finalized by the year 2020. IMT-2020 may seen a somewhat obtuse name, but it follows ITU's previous naming conventions, such as IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced, which preceded 3G and 4G, respectively. The core definition of 5G will be wireless networks that can transmit data at speeds up to 20Gbps. Most of today's LTE networks are allowing for connections as fast as 50Mbps in real-world conditions, though LTE-Advanced can push speeds much higher in the lab. The ITU's next step is to establish the necessary technical performance requirements for radio systems to support 20Gbps speeds, including possible radio interface technologies. The ITU-R Study Group 5 will meet in mid July to full affirm the ITU's recommendation. "The buzz in the industry on future steps in mobile technology--5G--has seen a sharp increase, with attention now focused on enabling a seamlessly connected society in the 2020 timeframe and beyond that brings together people along with things, data, applications, transport systems and cities in a smart networked communications environment," said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.


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