The requirements for 5G are increased download speeds, the need to deal with increased cell density, increased bandwidth efficiency and availability of new bandwidth. 5G is likely to make use of spectrum in the millimetre range, beam-forming antenna arrays, massive Multi-Input Multi-Output, and fundamental changes to base station design. In this paper the key drivers for 5G are discussed including the very large numbers of devices in cells, the need to make available new spectrum, energy efficient ways of implementing base station capabilities, standards developments so far and 5G related issues for Australia.

In this article, we show the path of the evolution in both standards and techniques and provide our vision for the future of the cellular networks. We review the evolution of international standards for cellular mobile networks in the last two decades, describe how the network layout has been migrating from rigid cellular architecture to random and dense small cells, and provide an in-depth discussion on potential enabling techniques for the next generation (5G) cellular networks