This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
July 13, 2020 - The current hype surrounding 5G technology may be overshadowing the significant role 4G networks are playing in supporting communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Long Term Evolution (LTE), the network technology used by 52% of the world's mobile devices, has underpinned innovative digital initiatives that are helping to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.
Henry Calvert, head of the Network 2020 future network programme at the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), noted that until 2025, LTE will continue to do the heavy lifting, providing critical connectivity to communities in need.
Speaking at the 2020 GSMA LTE Summit, Calvert highlighted the significant role 4G networks are playing in supporting health services, including the provision of telehealth and telemedicine, as well as expanding network services to hotspots to support the ill through hospitals and other healthcare services.
Calvert also noted that data usage has increased by more than 70% per customer during the pandemic, driven by online services and consumption of on-demand video services like Netflix.
As transformation continues, it's been focused on expanding 4G capacity, but the 5G transformation is clearly going to be needed in the future to meet online demands.
