Next-generation mobile networks dominated the first official day of Mobile World Congress, with the mobile industry outlining how 5G would change the landscape.

The day kicked off with Sony announcing plans for a new line of mobile phones and an in-ear digital assistant, Sony Ear.

But attention soon turned to other matters. After Nokia’s announcement on 5G and the internet of things the previous day, Ericsson and Intel revealed their plans for the new mobile technology. Wireless equipment supplier Ericsson said 5G radio test-bed trials would start this year, but pegged the full commercial roll-out of the networks as 2020.

Faster networks

Intel, meanwhile, announced products and partnerships it said would lay the groundwork for faster, more efficient networks, saying it was essential to start laying the groundwork now. “Billions of increasingly smart and connected devices, data-rich personalised services and cloud applications are driving the need for smarter and more powerful networks,” said Aicha Evans, corporate vice-president and general manager of the Intel Communication and Devices Group. “The transition to 5G brings communications and computing together and is a fundamental shift for the industry.”

Ericsson chief executive Hans Vestberg expects 150 million users to be on the networks in five years.

Connections

The new mobile technology was also a key feature in Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote, which closed events. He urged the networks not to focus solely on faster connections for those who already had internet access.

“One of the things that I’ve heard at Mobile World Congress this year so far this year, that I think has personally been a little disappointing, was that 4G is about giving people a good experience and 5G is about connecting things,” he said.