I was lucky enough to see the evolution of phones first-hand when I was working at Samsung. Not only were we developing some of their first 3G phones, we were adding in cameras, speakers, touch screens, and bright colour video screens. Not only did this open up the ability to browse the internet, we also had vivid games and downloadable applications. People started to personalise their phone as it became more essential to their lives.

Apple® then changed the game with the introduction of the Apple iPhone® in 2007.

While smartphones, browsing and app stores had been around well before the iPhone, Apple created something personal. All previous devices were primarily a voice telephone, with a browser as a secondary function. By making a voice call an app, Apple changed the view of what a handheld device was for. It was now a way to communicate, not just call.

For me, this became apparent with the birth of our daughter while we were living in London. My wife was up all hours of the night breastfeeding – feeling disconnected. However with one hand free, she could still communicate with friends and family in Australia who would still be awake.

The mobile phone soon became the device of choice for people to effectively run their lives. Many businesses began to look at how they could reach their customers via mobile, and apps were born - something that grew phenomenally through the use of 3G and into 4G phones.

4G

With mobile phones firmly entrenched in our lives and consumers demanding even more of their devices and the network, 4G was first made available in major cities, airports and selected regional areas in Australia in September 2011.

A 4G system provided mobile ultra-broadband internet access, with significantly faster speeds, lower latency and reduced network congestion.

In Australia, our 4G network is based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, which is a significant development over the existing 3G technology. We were also one of the first countries globally to introduce LTE. The peak speeds increased, and the delay through the network decreased.

Simply put, LTE is about data coming down more quickly to your device, which delivers you a ‘no-wait’ experience of the internet. In fact, it’s likely to be faster downloading a web page on your LTE phone than doing the same thing on your home laptop over a fixed broadband connection.

What this means is that 4G is faster than 3G. 4G is capable of more than double the speeds at launch, with ever-increasing speeds now approaching 20 times that which 3G could provide. Watching a cat video on YouTube on a 3G enabled phone, you might have experienced ‘buffering’ - you are far less likely to experience that on a 4G enabled phone in a 4G coverage area.

What next?

Mobile phones and the network have come a long way since 1G and voice-only capabilities. So, what about the future and the advent of 5G?

We do know that 5G is coming, but it is still in development, and quite a few years away from commercial release. Right now we know there is an increasing demand for more computers and devices to connect to the internet – the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT). And even the SIM card could become just another downloadable app.

If the reality reflects the promises of 5G then the major difference from a user point of view between 4G and 5G will be: a higher number of simultaneously connected devices; lower battery consumption and latencies; better coverage; a higher number of supported devices; and, an overall higher reliability of communication.

There is little doubt that developments will power a new wave of possibilities.

If you have enjoyed reading this and would like to catch up with my previous posts on this topic you can read installment one here and installment two here.

 Explore the mobility timeline

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