A well-known personality in the telecom sector, Lowell McAdam, has made important observations regarding the quick development of wireless technology. In his capacity as CEO of Verizon Communications, he saw directly how rapidly progress was being made in comparison to earlier cycles.

Every significant generation of wireless communication systems has historically had a lifespan of its own before being replaced by the subsequent generation. For example, it took about 15 years from the start of the first cellular network iteration until it was superseded by newer technology that could accommodate more sophisticated devices and services. The time between these changes has significantly decreased, though, as we have shifted to newer generations, such as the fourth, which made smartphones and streaming HD video possible.

According to McAdam, the leap to fifth generation (5G) technology is anticipated to happen much more quickly than the transition from third generation (3G) to fourth generation (4G), which took a significant amount of time for all necessary advancements to be realized. He estimates that it will take roughly four years after 4G became widely accessible for this change to occur.

Running on a treadmill that progressively increases speed over time is comparable to this observation. At first, there may be enough time between each level of difficulty to allow for rest and adjustment. But it gets harder to keep up as the treadmill gets faster and the time between changes gets shorter. The treadmill in this analogy is wireless technology, and every new generation signifies a leap in capability.

In addition to reflecting on the quick development of mobile communication, Lowell McAdam's observation implies that future developments will proceed at an even faster pace than in the past, changing the way we rely on and utilize these technologies in our day-to-day lives.