While the world is waiting for the release of 5G in 2020, Qualcomm has designed 4.5G Advanced Pro Technology for intermediate use. Official punchline for 4.5G LTE Advanced mentions that it shall "Propel mobile broadband, Proliferate LTE Connectivity and Progress towards 5G."
At a corporate presentation held recently, Qualcomm introduced its 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro Technology as a super-fast, low latency medium that shall enable users to seamlessly merge into 5G technology when it arrives.
Fierce Wireless even describes the much touted 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro as a stepping stone to 5G.
According to Fudzilla, Qualcomm intends to use 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro as an opportunity to consume more spectrums until 5G is released. It is being designed to provide backwards-compatibility for existing LTE Technologies.
Meanwhile, Tech Frag reported that 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro shall use Carrier Aggregation. This shall enable up to 32 carriers to simultaneously use a new feature called Licensed Assisted Access. Licensed Assisted Access was developed in 2015 that allows users to use both licensed and unlicensed spectrum bands at the same time. This enables efficient use of locally available spectrum. Hence, 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro shall bring forth unmatched fiber-like speed, and allow speedier data transfer.
It is also reported that the new 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro shall increase coverage areas by adding new antennas at base station level and improve traffic flexibility. New technology shall convert uplink resources for offloading downlink traffic, which shall enhance traffic flexibility. The 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro shall use simultaneous connections to varying cell types to achieve higher spectrum efficiency. Its most impressive feature is that, it shall make Internet of Things more efficient by aiding greater integration within and among devices.
Qualcomm's vision for 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro very ambitiously includes LTE-integrated cars, a converged digital TV network, proximity sensing without use of GPS and LTE aided advanced public safety services.