Global mobile operators and device makers are betting that the next level of transmission technology will ramp up mobile phone usage in a way that third-generation technology has so far failed to do.
So-called fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology, now being developed, would allow two-way communication in voice, video and data on a scale that was previously impossible, companies said at a Samsung 4G Forum mobile conference. 4G would allow mobile users on the go to enjoy services that they can now get through personal computers with high-speed broadband connections.
"4G is to deliver high-speed broadband for data- and visual- centric information. Everything before 4G is voice-centric," said Ali Tabassi, Sprint Nextel Corp vice president for innovative technology.
Operators have spent billions of dollars to speed up their mobile networks to offer video, photos, Internet access and other services, which they hope will boost revenues and make up for the lacklustre growth of voice calls. But growth in usage of third-generation (3G) services has been slower than expected.
3G technology, which allows video calls and wireless Internet access, has yet to become widespread and has caused concerns that it may not generate enough profit to justify the amount spent to build the networks.
Others disagree. Kristin Rinne, chief technology officer for Cingular Wireless, said: "We're just beginning to hit that exponential curve in terms of data usage (in 3G).
Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc is among a handful of operators that have seen some success with 3G. Users of its 3G service known as FOMA amount to more than 50 percent of its total subscribers. At the highest speed, users can download a movie in 5.6 seconds and send 100 songs in 2.4 seconds, according to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which presented a 4G service demonstration at the forum.
The spectrum for 4G service will be allocated at a global conference in October next year, and the commercial roll-out is expected after standard-setting around 2010.