The 5G Huddle [From the Guest Editors]

The articles in this special section focus on the development and applications supported by fifth generation (5G) next generation networking. During the summer and autumn of 2014, the Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF) was involved in a wide range of activities related mostly to progressing the global discussion on the development of fifth-generation(5G) concepts. Most significantly, on 22–23 September, WWRF, in conjunction with techUK hosted “The 5G Huddle—Towards a Global 5G Vision,” involving two days of interactive discussion aimed at bringing together senior industry and government leaders from North America, Europe, and Asia. The meeting certainly brought out the vision of the future, where the Internet of Things (IoT) and people integrate with new services ranging from medical applications to smart energy, smart buildings, robots, autonomous driving vehicles, and drones, and much agreement emerged from discussions among leading experts from government,industry, and academia from Europe, North America, and Asia. The key issues that emerged around the development of 5G technology were the IoT, spectrum management, data security, privacy, regulation, and competition as well as new business operating models. This future technology will be realized by the integration of technologies and applications on a range of infrastructures from fiber optics to wireless and satellites.