The ITU-R (Radiocommunication Assembly) approved both LTE Advanced and WiMAX Release 2.0 as IMT Advanced standards this week at their plenary meeting in Geneva.  The ITU-R had previously referred to IMT Advanced  “4G” but then changed its definition to accomodate all the mobile operators who were calling LTE and WiMAX 1.0 “4G”  (they are actually 3G+ RAN technologies.

 The new IMT Advanced specifications (LTE Advanced and WiMAX 2.0) will deliver “a much higher quality and a much higher bit rate, typically of the order of 100 megabits per second.”

“This means absolutely no time to get a page open,” claims Francois Rance, head of the ITU-R.  Mr. Rancey says that speeds will be so fast that a web page will open in less than 10ms, and users will be able to stream high-definition video at very high bit rates.   “IMT-Advanced would be like putting a fibre optic broadband connection on your mobile phone, making your phone at least 500 times faster than today’s 3G smart phones,” explains Rancy. “But it’s not only about speed; it’s about efficiency. IMT-Advanced will use radio-frequency spectrum much more efficiently making higher data transfers possible on lesser bandwidth. This will enable mobile networks to face the dramatic increase in data traffic that is expected in the coming years”

From IEEE 802.16 WG Chair Roger Marks:

This week, the ITU-R (in the ITU Radiocommunication Assembly) concluded its approval of the IMT-Advanced specification. This means that the WirelessMAN-Advanced air interface is now officially accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced. Please see the ITU’s announcement:  http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/02.aspx

The WirelessMAN-Advanced air interface was first specified in IEEE Std 802.16m and is currently being developed into the standalone IEEE Std 802.16.1. The standard has also been adopted by ARIB, TTA, and the WiMAX Forum.

The ITU-R notes that approval followed “a detailed evaluation against stringent technical and operational criteria.” The ITU Secretary-General called the announcement “a landmark development in mobile technology.”

AW Comment:  We wonder if LTE Advanced and WiMAX 2.0 – “true” 4G RAMs- will now be called “5G” by mobile operators. Else, how can they be distinguished from LTE and WiMAX 1.0 which were incorrectly referred to as 3G?  Neither technology is expected to be available for a least a couple of years.