

The European Union (EU) and South Korea plan to join forces in developing and promoting the next-generation 5G wireless standard – and they hope to provide a better glimpse of what can be expected by the end of 2015.

Assistance from South Korea is expected to be important for the EU, which initially struggled to roll out the 4G standard, due to slower – and inconsistent technologies. South Korea has more than 100 percent mobile phone penetration rate, indicating everyone in the country has at least one device.

A one-hour high-definition movie takes about six minutes to download using 4G, but would take only six seconds on a 5G network. It will be curious to see what is defined as 5G, because some believe it’s nothing by marketing hype. However, officials in Seoul will set to create an official definition of what standards are defined as 5G moving forward, though will be important to promote the “Internet of Things.”

Furthermore, the agreement will lead researchers on both sides to “explore further possibilities” in their effort to coordinate research – Samsung, Ericsson, Nokia, and other major phone manufacturers are expected to create devices based on guidelines agreed upon by both sides.

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