How to make 5G a reality?

Author: Richard Edgar, Imagination Technologies Technical Director of Communications

5G will significantly increase the speed of data transmission, shorten response time, and provide sufficient bandwidth for the Internet of Things to connect billions of devices, but what are the development requirements for 5G?

Now, we rely on the web to make sure that all the electronic devices stay connected, so that we can do everything we want to do – send emails, read online, chat with friends, watch streaming video, and more.

As the network grows deeper into our lives, it becomes more and more important – no one likes the experience of network latency; people just want to send emails, receive messages, and be able to stream online immediately Watch your favorite TV shows. Although the 4G network has provided very good service, it does not stop us from looking forward to a better future - 5G network!

Some people may ask, since 4G can meet most of the current needs, why do you need a 5G network? Because 5G can provide faster transmission speed; and, more importantly, as time progresses, no matter how many When people are connected at the same time, it can provide enough bandwidth to execute every command of the user without breaking or slowing down. In fact, the 5G network provides the connection of 'always on' Line quality.

Furthermore, when it comes to network latency and increasing user demands and expectations, 4G technology should not last too long. Compared to 4G technology's 40ms (ms) to 60ms delay, 5G network proposed ultra-low latency, It can shorten the delay to 1ms to 10ms, providing users with instant response. For example, it allows viewers in the stadium to watch live images from different cameras, from different perspectives without delay.

So, what developmental requirements are needed to achieve 5G?

The first version of the 5G standard has just been authorized, and further related revisions will be completed by 2020. Other 5G-related commercial applications will also appear soon, and it is reasonable to estimate that after a few years, we will begin to see users using it. 5G related services. Industry analyst Ovum predicts that the number of 5G users will grow to 24 million by 2021.

The Winter Olympics, held in South Korea in 2018, became the first large-scale test platform for 5G technology. It shows what types of services 5G technology can provide, including new video technologies that allow live viewing of sports. The experience of the event has completely changed, and from now until 2020, many tests will be carried out all over the world. Recently, EE Telecom conducted the first 5G test in the UK, and the data transmission speed reached nearly 3Gbps. At the same time, Vodafone Group ( Vodafone, a British multinational telecommunications company, also announced the first 5G data connection test in Italy.

5G will use a higher frequency band - higher frequency signals than the current 4G. 5G may use a frequency band of up to 6GHz, while 4G uses a frequency band of only 20MHz. This means that the new frequency band will have less data congestion - This is critical for the Internet of Things (IoT), especially before 2025, the number of IoT terminals will grow to 75 billion, and the demand for mobile data services is expected to continue to rise.

Current challenges facing 5G

The Internet is rapidly becoming saturated, and new standards need to be developed to meet future needs. 5G is not just getting started, there are still many challenges to overcome in the next few years. In many ways, these are actually The challenges of planning to deploy 4G networks are similar, but the biggest challenge now is the availability of spectrum, and the cost and network architecture must also be noted.

Spectrum availability has always been a challenge; however, it is important for the success of 5G. It is well known that the radio frequencies used for 3G and 4G are already too congested, so new spectrum is needed to cope with the ever-increasing demands. 5G The proposed higher 6 GHz band will be used to achieve the required data transmission speed. The allocation and management of the spectrum depends on the governments of each country. However, to date, there has been almost no consensus among countries. Only changes are made here. In order to let 5G services operate globally.

In addition, in order to ensure that the 5G spectrum will not be exhausted, it may be necessary to develop a more clever use of the spectrum, such as the spectrum required for each task. As with 4G, cost is also a big consideration. Before the actual development and testing of the technology required for 5G, no one really knows the cost of deploying the network infrastructure.

Similarly, if you want to show all the advantages of 5G, then the price of 5G mobile phones and related services for enterprises and consumers must also be affordable. If you can download more information at a faster rate, it does not mean People are willing to pay a more expensive monthly fee than the current 4G service.

Another consideration is whether all the devices are ready for 5G. It is possible that when we introduce this new ultra-high speed network, but there is no compatible device. This is one of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Byeong-Moo Lee, Vice President of Korean Telecom KT Olympics, said: 'We are not sure if there are enough devices in place, and we are still fighting for as many devices as possible with all major suppliers. Our main The goal is smart phones, but tablets and wearable devices are also being considered.'

Will there be 6G demand in the future?

The scale of the development of the Internet of Things can be said to be like astronomical figures. Soon, every technology will have wireless networking capabilities, forming an oversized network and causing network congestion - from washing machines, refrigerators, Animal sensors on the farm, sports bracelets, even trash cans and autonomous vehicles, etc., coupled with consumer expectations and needs, communication networks must keep pace with the times. Simply put, consumers don't care about their use. Whether it is Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, I only hope that their electronic devices can operate at any time and in real time.

Compared to previous generations of network technologies (such as 1G, 2G and 3G), it is important for 5G to immediately import the right infrastructure. This means that in the near future, we can upgrade through simple upgrades. Updates, without having to completely replace them - this is not just hardware, but also the focus on the software.

Usually, mobile data technology is built on hardware. 5G takes a different approach. Its focus is on software that is relatively simpler than hardware updates. If software upgrades are properly and properly implemented, we may not need them in the future. 6G, but only time will tell.

5G's future prospects

Although there is still a long way to go in reality, but the 5G era is coming, when it really comes, people will not be able to imagine a life without 5G. 5G will probably change the world we know, it will significantly enhance the transmission of data. Speed, shorten response time, and provide enough bandwidth to connect the IoT of billions of devices, thus opening up new paths for innovative technologies and services.

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