European Commission invests €50 million into 5G research with a 2020 target

You’re still waiting to get 4G? That’s old hat: the European Commission is already thinking about 5G. It’s investing €50 million ($65.3 million)into research with the hope that the next-next-generation cellular technology will be a practical reality by 2020. About €16 million ($20.9 million) of that is headed toward METIS, anEricsson-led alliance hoping to develop wireless with 10 to 100 times the capacity, a similar increase in speed and just a fifth of the lag. Like a UK parallel, though, there’s only so much technology talk the Commission can offer at this stage. The funding is as much for regional pride as progress — officials want 5G to be a Europe-led affair after Asia and North America took center stage on 4G.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless