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T-Mobile US CTO stomps down new Ericsson CEO’s boulevard of 5G dreams.
The existence or otherwise of 5G appears to be a matter of perspective, judging by comments made at Mobile World Congress by senior figures from Ericsson and T-Mobile US on Monday.
Börje Ekholm, who began his tenure as CEO of Ericsson in January, hosted a press conference during which he mentioned some of the 5G use case demonstrations taking place on what he called Ericsson’s "5G boulevard".
These range from a remotely-driven car; a haptic glove connected to a remote physician; and a smart factory enabled by network slicing. In all, more than 70 proof points and demonstrations are being given by Ericsson this week.
"5G is not only a buzzword anymore, it is increasingly becoming a reality," Ekholm said, predicting that the entire, global 5G market will be worth $1.2 trillion in 10 years.
Indeed, from where Ekholm sits, 5G is becoming something you can physically see and touch in the network equipment and connected concepts on display in Ericsson’s hall. However, not everyone sits where Ekholm sits.
"5G is not ready yet; it’s not real," said Neville Ray, CTO of T-Mobile US. "But my goodness can I deliver a great experience on 4G."
Ray, who made a guest appearance at Ericsson’s press conference, said all the foundational building blocks needed for 5G are based on LTE anyway.
"4G is far from dead," he said.
