Team Partners Telecommunications

Phoning in 2030

Posted on Jul 17, 2019  | Tags: mobile phones

As we head in to the holidays perhaps now is as good a time as any to relax the mind and let it stretch to considerations of what the world will be like in x years’ time and the what-if and could-it-bes. It’s true that such thoughts can so easily become cataclysmic as thoughts of the world as we know it, coming to a sticky end and even human extinction crowd in, but let’s be more sunny just for a moment and think good thoughts, and dream of phones and systems to come...

It’s actually been very interesting asking people how they think phoning will change over the next 10 years.  The expectation of huge change probably reflects the huge changes we’ve already experienced in the last 20 years or so, but it’s a surprise to see how folk think the rush of development will continue apace. We’ll see. One thing for definite, though, is that the day of locked-to-network phones will be gone, if it hasn’t already. Mobiles will connect to the most effective signal, no matter whose it is and, incidentally, it will be mobiles all the way, landlines will be a thing of the past. The implications of 5G, both good and bad, are not widely understood (despite our recent blogs!) and so there’s a general expectation of being able to download faster without knowledge of how much...and if you don’t know, considerably! 

Opinions differ as to the role of the mobile. On the one hand as we depend on it more to be a “laptop”, with us using apps to communicate rather than the ‘phone function it’s understood that they invariably have to grow physically larger. On the other is the requirement that they become smaller and less sartorially obtrusive; tight jeans, tiny handbag and a slab of mobile don’t really mix. Folding, pack-away or indeed almost virtual mobiles are predicted, with the latter being something voice activated that becomes visual on one’s glasses. Or something. There’s also the assumption that Siri/Alexa will become efficient to the point that a simple verbal instruction to get a pizza delivered at half seven will put into train a whole series of events that results in a piping hot pizza being kept warm in your oven for when you get home. Did I mention a verbal instruction? That may not be necessary. You could just think it. There’s a team of people working on the practicalities of typing from thought even as you read this.

And then there’s the question of recharging. Not much point having a mobile that does everything if it runs out of juice by lunchtime. What we need is charging points at every turn...or, wait a minute, fly through the air charging! How about not just being able to charge your mobile but your laptop, or even your electric car! Wow! Well dream on, because it might well happen one day, but not before 2030. At least we don’t think so!