Solving The Challenges Of User-Centric Networks

At Fieldfisher's recent telecoms update conference, I spoke of what I believe to be the key necessities for the next generation mobile network, and described the 'seven pillars' for 5G development (maximising data rates; minimising latency; speed of mobility; seamless transition between technologies and at cell boundaries; spectral efficiency; maximising simultaneous connections; and lowering cost and energy consumption per unit of data).  The network of the future is expected to be all about quality of experience for the user, driven by the media consumption habits of users, and shaped by the appearance of new technologies.  This article describes some of the challenges faced by network operators and regulators, and explores some of the possible solutions.