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In 1980 AT&T hired McKinsey to estimate the number of cellphone users by 2000 in order to determine if they should invest into the market. The estimate given was 900,000 users.

From the year 2005 4G was being developed by key industry players focusing on OFDMA (from CDMA)

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5G (Fifth Generation) is a transformative wireless communication technology that builds upon 4G LTE by delivering:

Ultra-high data speeds (up to 20 Gbps)

Ultra-low latency (as low as 1 millisecond)

Massive IoT connectivity supporting billions of devices simultaneously

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The next frontier of Cellular technology is 6G, expected to officially launch in the year 2030. The technology is not developed independently but as a part of a global collaboration but with regional leadership and competition.

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7G aims to solve the global coverage and seamless connectivity problem. While previous generations like 5G and 6G focus on high-speed, low-latency terrestrial networks, 7G integrates satellite communication to eliminate connectivity gaps in remote, rural, and oceanic regions. It also addresses roaming issues in 6G by enabling satellite-to-satellite and satellite-to-ground communication protocols.

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Though 7G is still a future technology (projected for the 2040s), its anticipated impact includes:

1. It's anticipated to allow global internet access that can bridge the digital divide, especially in underserved regions.

2. Enabling smart global logistics, autonomous transport, and disaster response through uninterrupted connectivity.

3. Economically, it could create new industries around satellite infrastructure, boost e-commerce, and support international collaboration in science, health, and education.

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1. Ultra-high bandwidth and near-zero latency.

2. Full space-air-ground-sea integration.

3. AI-driven, autonomous computing resource allocation.

4. Dynamic infrastructure that adapts computing location

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7G has not yet been launched anywhere in the world. It is projected to be deployed around 2040, following the rollout and global stabilization of 6G (expected in the 2030s). Its deployment in Kenya or Africa would likely depend on international cooperation, satellite coverage in the region, and local regulatory readiness.

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Anticipated challenges in rolling out 7G include

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Anticipated challenges in rolling out 7G include

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1. High costs of satellite launches and maintenance.

2. Spectrum regulation and coordination across countries and space agencies.

3. Technical complexity in integrating satellite networks.

4. Environmental concerns, especially regarding satellite congestion and space Junk.

5. Political and economic inequality, which may delay adoption in developing nations if infrastructure investment isn't prioritized.

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To improve 7G development, efforts should focus on making it affordable and accessible, especially for developing countries, and ensuring open international standards to prevent monopolies and encourage global cooperation.

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Who benefited from this transition?

Mobile companies like Apple, Stream companies and importantly communication companies like Qualcomm.

CDMA (used in 3G) had a high latency, limited scalability and could not meet the needs of the growing internet infrastructure.

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Improving from the 5G technology with terahertz frequency range as the operating frequencies. The increase in the bandwidth as a result creates vastly higher data rates that are exponentially faster than 5G potentially reaching terabits per second.

6G isn't the same as Wifi6 as a by the way,

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So what does this mean for the common person?

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With instantaneous downloads, ultra-HD streaming, 6G technology would offer a much needed reliability on the internet to perform intricate tasks such as surgery over the internet. Holographic communication would change how human beings relate to each other, people would feel potentially more connected to each other, express themselves for both good and bad.

The work structures could change with many jobs being done from home, some industries could have adjusted work weeks and that would also change the other relationships since people would need to find what to do with the extra free time. AR/VR could revolutionize gaming/ the entertainment industries.

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What's at the cutting edge of internet speeds?

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There's part of the research I came across an article that was talking about how Japan had broken the internet speed record that is a transmission speed of 1.02 Petabits per second over 1.123 miles. This means that you could practically download the entirety of Netflix library in under a second but of course there's the pressing issue of piracy hehe... This is because used fiber optic cables that was 19 cores and with a compatible infrastructure; a standard cladding diameter of 0.125mm. 'Japan's recent success could serve as a model for 6G networks, national broadband backbones and the next generation of underwater cables' ~economictimes.indiatimes

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Hardware limitations eg antennas, chips;

Range more access points for similar connectivity;

Energy requirements and sustainability;

Security and privacy that comes with the new technology.

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Social

Mobile centric lifestyles

Digital inclusion in rural areas

Improved information accessibility

Real time social activism

Economic:

Enabled the App economy

Enabled cashless societies

Digital retail services

Job creation : remote work

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1. Planning for early adoption especially in Africa

2. Investing more on Research and development

3. Faster and fair spectrum allocation

4. Digital literacy and inclusion workshops in rural areas

5. Government import duty relief on mobile devices to boost accessibility

6. Incentives for rural development e.g.: tax reliefs and government funding

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It was first adopted by the following countries in 2012 : Namibia, Angola, Mauritius, South Africa.

In Kenya 4G was launched in 2012

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In Kenya:

Unfair allocation of the 4G spectrum

Poor rural access

Lack of national fiber links

Before 2017, smartphones were costly preventing early adoption

Globally

High capex to build infrastructure

Spectrum allocation

Urban - rural divide

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Slow speeds and high latency in 3G/4G networks

Inability to support real-time applications like autonomous vehicles or telesurgery

Network congestion in densely populated areas

Lack of scalability for billions of IoT/M2M devices.

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Data Rates: From 4G’s ~100 Mbps to upto 20Gbps speeds

Latency: Down to 1 ms or less, enabling real-time applications

Network Capacity: Through massive MIMO and mmWave, supporting many users/devices per area

Energy Efficiency and network flexibility through software-defined networking and edge computing

Coverage and resilience, especially in dense urban settings

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Enabled smart city infrastructure (traffic control, waste management, public safety)

Transformed healthcare with telemedicine and remote procedures

Enhanced education through immersive AR/VR classrooms

Improved quality of life with seamless streaming, gaming, and virtual collaboration

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Fueled Industry 4.0, allowing real-time factory automation and predictive maintenance

Paved the way for autonomous logistics and transport

Created new business opportunities in AI, cloud gaming, and the metaverse

Stimulated telecom infrastructure investment and tech jobs.

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Kenya:

Pilot Launch: March 2021 by Safaricom.

Official Rollout: Began in October 2022 in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa.

Other parts of Africa:

South Africa ,2020 – MTN and Vodacom

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High infrastructure costs for small cells, fiber backhaul, and mmWave towers

Limited spectrum availability and delayed regulatory frameworks

Expensive 5G devices, limiting mass adoption initially

Urban-rural divide, as deployment prioritized cities first

High power consumption and technical complexity

New cybersecurity risks with billions of connected devices and critical services