General effects: people’s lifestyles and mobile communications
Fourth generation (4G) mobile communication systems are expected to be realized around 2010. World Over’s research on 4G (4th generation) mobile communication is in progress from last 6 years. The technology is still evolving, but countries have already begun to commit to its implementation. India has said that it would go from 2G to 4G bypassing 3G technology. China, Korea and Japan are jointly developing 4G phones; China will implement 4G technology for the Beijing Olympic Games. WiMax technology is on its last legs because it is not compatible with VOIP. Data transfers will take place at LAN speeds of 100 Mbps. The world is looking to 4G to transform the way people do business every day. As the technology evolves, the handheld phone used in 4G mobile communications will be an all-in-one device for use. ¢ Education, Arts and Sciences ¢ Business activities outside the office ¢ Network gaming and downloading of music/video content ¢ Visual communication ¢ Purchase and liquidation of merchandise ¢ Daily living ¢ Work ¢ Nursing and medical care ¢ Emergency medical treatment ¢ Disaster management.
People’s lifestyles and mobile communications
4G mobile communication systems can have an even greater impact on people’s lives, bringing about changes in lifestyles and transforming our living environments, the way we do business and the social system. 4G mobile systems are likely to penetrate widely and deeply into our daily lives, to create a new information and communication environment in our society. The use of mobile communication services will be taken for granted in people’s daily lives, and their behavior may change significantly from conventional behavior patterns. , It will allow people to study, play, work and shop literally anywhere they want. As a consequence, people will be freed from the limitations and restrictions of space, and will be able to choose more freely where they want to be, schools, offices and homes will not disappear as physical space, but the meaning of “place” and “space” could being very different from our conventional thinking, a major transformation of business structure, particularly in consumer-oriented industries, and the rise of new businesses. the service offering may change to varying degrees to a structure in which “a service is delivered to the user” instead of “users are required to go out to receive the service”. Mobile government services and distance education are likely to be provided solely as an application on mobile networks. While it may be difficult to carry out a large-scale online medical service immediately, an environment in which doctors with advanced mobile medical devices visit patients’ homes to provide treatment using special mobile services is considered feasible enough. The advancement in mobile services is likely to expand markets for a wide range of products that are often used in daily life, including mobile terminals, information devices, home networking, smart vehicles, etc.
It may not be an exaggeration to say that the service that has most dramatically transformed people’s lifestyles in the last decade is mobile communications, such as cell phones and PHS. Ten years ago, cell phones were still too expensive and bulky to carry, so they were only used by a limited number of business and other users. However, after the explosive growth of the late 1990s, mobile communications have become the most widely used means of communication for many users. Furthermore, with the creation of email, content services i.e. ringtones and games, and other applications such as web information services for cell phones, mobile communications have brought a lot of fun and convenience to life. of the people, and have even caused some changes in the balance of power between various media.
In the next ten years, mobile communication services are expected to continue to advance and have an even greater impact on people’s lives, leading to changes in lifestyles and transforming our living environments, the way we do business and the social system. Due to the advancement of mobile services, 4G mobile systems are expected to be much more widely used and closely related to our daily lives than today. For example, through the use of mobile terminals equipped with large-scale settlement capabilities, individuals could use mobile devices as a means of secure electronic settlement for purchases they make at stores or vending machines around the city. If strong personnel authentication becomes a reality through biological authentication technologies, people will be able to access a variety of services, including local government administrative services, from their mobile terminals. A significant improvement in data transmission rates will allow users to get and enjoy advanced video software and game contents, etc., in an instant, regardless of their location.
Business email transactions with a large data attachment can be performed without stress in mobile environments, which can make the word “desktop work” obsolete. People will be able to receive the necessary navigation information easily every time they go out, and they may no longer feel uncomfortable due to the lack of information. Also, in the event of anomalies, such as an accident or natural disaster, people will be able to make the necessary contacts immediately from virtually anywhere, improving the level of safety in our lives.
As described above, 4G mobile systems are likely to penetrate widely and deeply into our daily lives, to create a new information and communication environment in our society. The use of mobile communication services will be taken for granted in people’s daily lives, and their behavior may change significantly from conventional behavior patterns.
Traditionally, people used various living spaces of different functionality or meaning (home, school, workplace, bank, department store, hospital, to name a few) for specific purposes. Mobile services, however, can provide many of these capabilities that transcend spaces. In other words, it allows people to study, play, work, and shop literally anywhere they want. As a consequence, people will be freed from the limitations and restrictions of space and will be able to choose more freely where they want to be.
This is a transformation from a highly constrained “space-based lifestyle” to a more free and flexible “object-oriented lifestyle”. Naturally, schools, offices and homes will not disappear as physical space, but the meaning of “place” and “space” could be very different from our conventional thinking.