5G-: Future of Connectivity
What is 5G?
5G is the 5th generation mobile network. 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.
5G wireless technology is meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and more uniform user experience to more users.
The data speed for wireless broadband connections using 5G would be at a maximum of around 20 Gbps. Contrasting that with the peak speed of 4G which is 60 Mbps, that’s a lot! Moreover, 5G will also provide more bandwidth and advanced antenna technology which will result in much more data transmitted over wireless systems.
Before 5G
The previous generations of mobile networks are 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G.
First-generation — 1G
The 1980s: 1G delivered analog voice.
Second-generation — 2G
The early 1990s: 2G introduced digital voice (e.g. CDMA- Code Division Multiple Access).
Third generation — 3G
The early 2000s: 3G brought mobile data (e.g. CDMA2000).
Fourth-generation — 4G LTE
The 2010s: 4G LTE ushered in the era of mobile broadband.
How does 5G Wireless Technology Work?
- Radio Access Network: The Radio Access Network mainly includes 5G Small Cells and Macro Cells that form the crux of 5G Wireless Technology as well as the systems that connect the mobile devices to the Core Network. The 5G Small Cells are located in big clusters because the millimetre wave spectrum (that 5G uses for insanely high speeds!) can only travel over short distances. These Small Cells complement the Macro Cells that are used to provide more wide-area coverage.
Macro Cells use MIMO (Multiple Inputs, Multiple Outputs) antennas which have multiple connections to send and receive large amounts of data simultaneously. This means that more users can connect to the network simultaneously.
2. Core Network: The Core Network manages all the data and internet connections for 5G Wireless Technology. And a big advantage of the 5G Core Network is that it can integrate with the internet much more efficiently and it also provides additional services like cloud-based services, distributed servers that improve response times, etc.
Uses of 5G in the real world
Broadly speaking, 5G is used across three main types of connected services, including enhanced mobile broadband, mission-critical communications, and the massive IoT. A defining capability of 5G is that it is designed for forwarding compatibility — the ability to flexibly support future services that are unknown today.
1. Enhanced mobile broadband
In addition to making our smartphones better, 5G mobile technology can usher in new immersive experiences such as VR and AR with faster, more uniform data rates, lower latency, and lower cost-per-bit.
2. Mission-critical communications
5G can enable new services that can transform industries with ultra-reliable, available, low-latency links like remote control of critical infrastructure, vehicles, and medical procedures.
3. Massive IoT
5G is meant to seamlessly connect a massive number of embedded sensors in virtually everything through the ability to scale down in data rates, power, and mobility — providing extremely lean and low-cost connectivity solutions.
4. Autonomous Vehicles
In the future, your vehicle will communicate with other vehicles on the road, provide information to other cars about road conditions, and offer performance information to drivers and automakers. If a car brakes quickly up ahead, yours may learn about it immediately and preemptively brake as well, preventing a collision. This kind of vehicle-to-vehicle communication could ultimately save thousands of lives.
5. Remote Device Control
Since 5G has remarkably low latency, remote control of heavy machinery will become a reality. While the primary aim is to reduce risk in hazardous environments, it will also allow technicians with specialized skills to control machinery from anywhere in the world.
What are the benefits of 5G Wireless Technology?
5G Wireless Technology will not only enhance current mobile broadband services, but it will also expand the world of mobile networks to include many new devices and services in multiple industries from retail to education to entertainment with much higher performances and lower costs.
Some of the benefits of 5G in various domains are given here:
· 5G will make our smartphones much smarter with faster and more uniform data rates, lower latency, and cost-per-bit and this, in turn, will lead to the common acceptance of new immersive technologies like Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality.
· 5G will have the convenience of ultra-reliable, low latency links that will empower industries to invest in more projects which require remote control of critical infrastructure in various fields like medicine, aviation, etc.
· 5G will lead to an Internet of Things revolution as it can scale up or down in features like data rates, power, and mobility which is perfect for an application like connecting multiple embedded sensors in almost all devices!
When will the 5G Wireless Technology be Launched?
South Korea and the U.S. became the first countries to commercially launch the 5G Wireless Technology in April 2019. China is also moving towards launching 5G by providing commercial 5G licenses to its major carriers. Japan plans to launch 5G in time for the 2020 Tokyo summer Olympics.
The Central government in India has also set a target of 2020 for the commercial launch of 5G Wireless Technology, which is mostly in time with the other countries. The government already launched a three-year program in March 2018 to promote research in 5G. Also, Ericsson has created a 5G test base at IIT Delhi for developing applications that are tailor-made for the Indian scenario.
Where is 5G now?
AT&T currently has a low-band 5G system in 16 cities and a separate, high-band 5G system in 21 cities. Anyone can use the low-band system, but the high-band one is restricted to business customers only. The low-band system works with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, and the high-band system works with the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and the Netgear Nighthawk 5G hotspot.
Sprint now covers 16 million people in 9 metro areas with its mid-band network. Further launches seem to be gummed up by Sprint’s ongoing drama around its potential merger with T-Mobile. The carrier is selling the HTC Hub hotspot, and the LG V50, OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, and Samsung Galaxy S10 5G phones.
T-Mobile has a low-band system available to 200 million people nationwide, with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G and OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren phones. It also has a very limited high-band network in six cities, which works only with the Samsung Galaxy S10 phone.
Verizon is sticking with high-band, now providing some coverage in 31 cities. While it’s extremely fast if you can find it, it can be hard to find, even using Verizon’s new coverage maps. It’s selling a 5G add-on that fits Moto Z2 Force, Z3, and Z4 phones, as well as the LG V50, Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, and Galaxy Note 10+ 5G phones, and the Inseego M1000 hotspot. The carrier is mostly using the 28GHz spectrum.
Socio-economic impact of 5G Wireless Technology
Fast, intelligent internet connectivity enabled by 5G technology is expected to create approximately $3.6 trillion in economic output and 22.3 million jobs by 2035 in the global 5G value chain alone. This will translate into global economic value across industries of $13.2 trillion, with manufacturing representing over a third of that output; information and communications, wholesale and retail, public services, and construction will account for another third combined.
5G can change home internet service by providing a wireless modem alternative to existing wires. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can now serve customers using 5G infrastructure — making the coverage, performance, and deployment flexibility of 5G a compelling backhaul alternative to fibre, DSL, or cable solutions.
5G can deliver social value across 11 key areas that correspond to 11 of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This value derives mainly from contributing to good health and well-being, enhancing infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.
5G in India
India is set to join the 5G revolution soon with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) preparing to open the spectrum in 2020. Telecom operators in the country are getting ready for 5G trials. The country needs to explore all three spectrum band categories (millimetre wave, mid-band, and sub-6 airwave) to realize the full benefits of 5G. If India does not want to be left behind, which has happened in all the previous ‘G’ transitions, it is crucial to roll-out 5G and plays a pivotal role in defining what the world will use — to grow technologically and economically.
But, due to the COVID-19 impact on the global supply chain and economy, it will be fair to assume that 5G rollout in India will not happen anytime before 2022, depending upon how quickly enterprises (which will be the first wave of adopters of and create use cases out of 5G) and telcos bounce back from this impact.
