Thanks for the extensive comments.
I'll change the message.. the posts need to be edited and supported by references to studies and independent opinions.
4G has not been fully defined yet: the ITU has laid out goals and 3GPP/3GPP2 and WiMAX have responded with initial road maps on how to evolve to meet these goals, but we are a few years away from 4G. I don't think 5G will become a goal for at least 4-5 years. But I see your point. A reason for calling it 4G is to provide a concrete banner upon which equipment and service providers can
participate to sell goods and services. If you take the ITU definition of 4G as being 1 Gbps fixed-nomadic, 100 Mbps mobile, low cost, granular deployment, etc. then WiFi can be seen as fitting into the general framework. I encourage WiFi Alliance and other groups to position WiFi as part of the evolution of 4G, which I believe it is.
The purpose is altruistic but has to be rooted in commercial and political benefits. To clarify what is different and enabling about what wireless can deliver over the next few years from what has long been envisioned and promised boils down to it being low cost, open IP Ethernet extension. What is different is reaching a threshold for bandwidth and coverage under flat rate or high cap plans that makes it practical for people to stay 'always connected' with the same services they have wile in their offices or connected to DSL or cable BB Internet access. Arguably, 3.5-3.9G cellular has evolved to be high enough in bandwidth and low enough in cost to be similarly enabling. However, the reality is that caps will become standard practice and price parity with wired service won't be reached.
A major focus of Green4G or Green wireless BB is that as it reaches price parity of wired and metro scale and RAN range of service, it fills the gap that has existed for implementing the 'always connected' vision that is needed to cut the physical connection between worker and the information based work, education and services that much of business, government, entertainment, and personal communications are now comprised.
When I have studied the plans for 'Business 2.0' and similar visions for shifting operations from location based organization to information flow and personnel resource organization, the remaining weak link is need to have an always connected/in-touch the 'first mile' connection to the individual. Without filling the gap, which can only be done with untethered wireless BB, plans for this new age of business and government organization fall short and organizations are forced to cling to commuting into offices even for those jobs that are entirely information based. Also, for practical societal reasons, people must have he comfort of always being connected with the same connections they have in their office. No virtual conferencing connection totally replaces the need for person-to-person direct interaction, but if the goal is to replace time behind a screen at the office with time connected at remote locations, then with the always connected 4G vision, telecommuting can now fit in to enable a major transformation.
-Robert Syputa |
