Balancing public and private in fourth generation

Abstract

In spite of timid steps towards accommodating some type of private (in fact, corporate) usage, current and past mobile generations - from first (1G) to third (3G) - are focused on public use. However, as 3G networks are (to be) deployed on top of existing second generation (2G) networks, with IP becoming ever more pervasive, and with the advent of reconfigurable radio, the opportunity is there, looking forward towards fourth generation (4G), to really start focusing on private, unlicensed use at par with the envisioned use of 4G systems as an extension of existing public systems. Indeed, our perspective of 4G is not one of only higher data rates and a public service focus (that was from the start the perspective for 3G-Phase 2, what some call IMT-2010). What is at stake is a different concept of service, more than yet another technology revolution, and this constitutes a bigger challenge: the focus is now squarely on the user, not on operators/service providers. That said, some aspects of 4G, namely the integration of heterogeneous networks, will provide operators, already in the short term, with essential tools to manage their increasingly complex networks and provide seamless, efficient access to information, ie, to remain competitive.