4G尚未落幕 5G競賽一觸即發

The gleaming metal and glass 5G laboratory being assembled on a campus at the University of Surrey, a few miles outside Guildford, speaks to British ambitions when it comes to building the next generation of mobile internet technology.

英國小鎮吉爾福德(Guildford)郊外幾英里處，薩里大學(University of Surrey)的校園裡，人們正在組裝一座由金屬和玻璃建造的5G實驗室。這所亮閃閃的實驗室充分彰顯出英國開發下一代移動網際網路技術的雄心。

While many mobile phone users are only just upgrading to faster 4G networks, telecoms equipment providers are looking ahead to the next generation of mobile internet technology.

很多手機使用者才剛剛升級到速度更快的4G網路，電信裝置供應商已經在展望下一代移動網際網路技術了。

Yet companies such as Vodafone and BT have not given the university funding to develop the technologies out of scholarly love. They are commercial partners that have bought a stake in any future profits generated by the centre as well as the chance to use the technology.

沃達豐(Vodafone)、英國電信(BT)等公司向薩里大學提供5G技術研發資金並非出於學術愛好。作為商業夥伴，它們投入資金是為了將來在該實驗室產生的任何盈利中分一杯羹，同時也獲得使用新技術的機會。

They are not the only companies racing to develop 5G. Labs run by Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung are working flat out to produce the precious global patents that will underpin the future of mobile connectivity. Most hope to have some form of the technology in testing by 2018.

競相開發5G技術的不只這些公司。華為(Huawei)、愛立信(Ericsson)、諾基亞(Nokia)和三星(Samsung)等公司的實驗室也在全力開發寶貴的與5G相關的全球專利技術，這些技術將支撐移動連線的未來。大多數公司希望2018年能測試某種5G技術。

But while previous generations of mobile have been about making the internet faster, 5G will go one step further, according to Professor Rahim Tafazolli, head of 5G research at the University of Surrey. He says that it is expected to make the internet fast enough to make possible a whole host of new applications, from connected vehicles to the connective devices that will enable the internet of things. “5G will be the start of a new way to think about communications,” says Prof Tafazolli.

薩里大學5G研究負責人拉希姆•塔法佐利(Rahim Tafazolli)教授表示，前幾代移動技術著眼於更快的網際網路速度，而5G技術將更進一步。他說，5G技術預計將使網際網路速度大為加快，使一系列新應用成為可能，從聯網汽車到可連線裝置等讓物聯網變得可行的事物。“5G將使人們以新的方式來思考通訊，”塔法佐利教授說。

Ericsson believes there will be up to 50bn connected devices globally by 2022, when the technology is expected to start being rolled out commercially. The implications are profound.

愛立信認為，到2022年，全球可連線裝置將多達500億部，那時5G技術有望投入商業應用。其意義將是深遠的。

Imagine, for example, a self-driving car that relied on a steady but constant stream of information beamed via the internet to operate. Unless the infrastructure that enabled connectivity was robust enough to allow information to be accessed all the time, it would be impossible for the car to work.

比如，我們可以想象一輛自動駕駛汽車，依靠網際網路傳送的持續、穩定的資訊流來執行。除非基礎設施能夠提供非常可靠的連線，保證資訊能夠隨時讀取，否則這輛車是不可能正常工作的。

Network technology tends to evolve every 10 years. The first generation cellular network was launched in the 1980s and supported voice services only. It drove early mobile phone adoption but was problematic, with eavesdropping and cloning common. Using a phone abroad was impossible.

網路技術通常每10年演變一次。第一代蜂窩網路在上世紀80年代問世，只支援語音服務。該技術驅動了早期行動電話的使用，但存在種種問題，經常出現竊聽和資訊盜用現象。當時在國外使用手機也是不可能的。

In the 1990s, 2G became widespread and was able to support far more users and was more secure. This allowed the sending of “text messages”, and consumers were able to roam outside of their home country.

到了上世紀90年代，2G變得普及，能夠支援遠多於過去的使用者，通話也更加安全。2G技術支援傳送“簡訊”，使用者可以在本國之外漫遊通話。

The early 2000s saw the emergence of 3G, which supported high-speed data services as consumers increasingly began using broadband and the internet on mobile devices. A new breed of smartphone, capable of supporting video and mobile television, was born. From 2010, 4G allowed operators to use spectrum more efficiently, which meant the speed of accessing mobile data were about 10 times faster than 3G.

21世紀初出現的3G技術，支援高速資料服務，讓消費者開始越來越多地在移動裝置上使用寬頻和網際網路。支援視訊和移動電視服務的新型智慧手機於是誕生。從2010年開始，4G技術讓運營商能夠更高效地利用頻譜，使得訪問移動資料的速度比3G快10倍左右。

The next generation will be about more than the mobile phone. It will be about providing connectivity over the airwaves to billions of devices that in future will require access to the internet, ranging from driverless cars to smart cities.

下一代技術將不僅僅應用在手機上，而且還將為數以十億計、未來需要接入網路的裝置——從無人駕駛汽車到智慧城市設施——提供無線連線。