5G and the Internet: The Internet Versus Telecom [Bits Versus Electrons]

Fifth-generation (5G) sounds like the successor to fourth-generation (4G) cellular telephone technology, and that is the intent. However, while the progression from second generation to third generation, to 4G, and now to 5G seems simple, the story is more nuanced. At the Consumer Electronics (CE) Society meeting in January 2017, I had a chance learn more about 5G (not to be confused with 5 GHz Wi-Fi) and another standard, Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) 3.0, which is supposed to be the next standard for broadcast TV. The contrast between the approach taken with these standards and the way the Internet works offers a pragmatic framework for a deeper understanding of engineering, economics, and more. One hint that something is wrong in 5G land came when I was told that 5G was necessary for the Internet of Things (IoT). This is a strange claim considering how much we are already doing with IoT devices.