Forget 4G – 4.5G is here soon
The battle over whether LTE can be called 4G is ongoing, but that has not stopped analysts from beginning to punt 4.5G technologies.
A recent analyst report from the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch titled “A vision of the near future: LTE Advanced (4.5G)” laughed off the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) definition that LTE Advanced is in fact 4G.
The ITU’s definition clearly states that “LTE-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced should be accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced, and hence 4G”.
There is however a challenge: many operators and industry players are calling their LTE and WiMax networks ‘4G’ (including Apple), which means that a new term had to be used to continue the hype.
4.5G to the rescue.
The Bank of America/Merrill Lynch report sets the scene right from the outset with their first sentence: “Faster, better user experience, efficient use of spectrum…LTE Advanced is the next wireless upgrade, beyond LTE/4G – essentially 4.5G”.
The ‘G’ hype must continue, and The Bank of America/Merrill Lynch can therefore be nearly excused for calling LTE Advanced 4.5G to differentiate it from LTE (which is called 4G).
In South Africa operators may be hesitant about calling their LTE networks 4G after Cell C was raked over the coals due to its 4G marketing campaign (for its HSPA+ network). This is however not the case internationally, and SA may well be the last telecoms outpost which actually cares about the ITU’s 4G definition.
LTE Advanced is 4.5G?
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