4G and beyond in Australia: Technologies and opportunities in the NBN era

Fourth-generation cellular mobile wireless broadband systems are currently being trialled and deployed in Australia and around the world. This next generation is driven by increasing customer demand for ubiquitous access and higher data rates, the opportunity for increased revenues and lower costs for network operators, and the pursuit of more efficient, harmonised and profitable spectrum by regulators. Focusing on the 3GPP evolution path, we present an overview of technologies for 4G and beyond, and consider the opportunities in Australia in terms of spectrum, future wireless networks, and the National Broadband Network.