5G Cellular Network

 

Cellular network (history)

  • 1G : Analog voice (AMPS, 800Mhz) - 1983
    • Lets you “walk and talk”
  • 2G : Digital voice (GSM)  - 1991
    • Lets you send texts
    • Europe led (1990’s)
  • 3G : Mobile data (UMTS, 3G) - 1998
    • Got you on the internet
    • Japan led (2000’s)
  • 4G : Mobile internet (LTE, 4G) - 2008
    • Lets you stream audio/video
    • US led (2011)
    • Spawned mobile applications and services (ie., YouTube, Facebook, Google)
  • 5G : IoT (5G NR - "New Radio") - 2019
    • Gigabit LTE (Not 5G) - aka LTE Advanced, aka (AT&T's) 5GE
    • 5G NSA (Non-Standalone) - Early 5G that uses 4G LTE as a backbone/anchor
    • 5G SA (Standalone) - "True" 5G that doesn't utilize 4G spectrum
text 5G surrounded by icon cloud with icons for speed, radio signal, mobile, global connectivity, cloud, computers. Icons and text below 5G text. From left to right, Speed, Signal, Big Data, Internet, Network, Technology, Internet of Things, Traffic

5G attributes (versus 4G)

  • High throughput broadband – faster
    • 10-20 Gbps (100x faster)
  • Low latency
    • <1ms (40x faster) – “real time”
  • Better frequency
    • 400Mhz (20x wider)
  • Higher reliability
    • 99.9999% (“six nines”) high availability
    • Better (end-to-end) security
  • Backbone – high capacity
    • Internet of Things (IoT)
    • Smaller cells - 1M devices/sq km (500x more)
  • Low power
    • 10 days (10x more)
  • Efficient – uses spectrum better
    • Carrier aggregation
    • Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)
    • Massive MIMO (multiple input, multiple output)
    • Beam steering / forming
    • Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS)
  • Fixed wireless
    • 1 Gb/s connections to home and business
  • Unified platform
    • Spectrum types – licensed, shared and unlicensed
    • Frequency bands – low, middle and high
    • Deployments – traditional macro-cells to hotspot
    • Interconnects – device-to-device and multi-hop mesh
2 blocks one with the numbers 4 and 5 and one with the letter G. Hand turning the number block from 4 to 5 denoting transition from 4G to 5G.

Paradigm shift

  • Unlike 4G or 3G, 5G is a technological paradigm shift
  • Hybrid networks – "Network of networks”
    • Value of networks grows exponentially with the number of nodes connected to it
    • Many different types of networks for voice, video, sensors, machines, mobile radios and more will become available
  • Not just about phones or network
    • 5G will become the underlying fabric of an ecosystem of connected intelligent sensors and devices
  • 5G will provide seamless, continuous connectivity for business applications
  • 5G connected IoT will dramatically transform everyone’s daily lives
  • By 2020, 20 billion IoT devices will generate massive amounts of big data
    • Industries will reach new levels of efficiency
    • Industries will create new products, services and capabilities
    • 5G will change economic and business policies
  • Geographical and cultural borders will further disappear

5G Business Strategy

  • Not just faster - low (near real-time) latency and reliability allow for new innovation
  • Physics is different – shorter signal coverage/penetration distance will be limitations but an opportunity
  • Computing and mobility paradigm change – cloud computing becomes more valuable and less powerful edge computing (mobile devices) needed
    • Allow for next generation: sensors, machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, virtual reality, augmented reality
  • Network topology change – Explosion of IoT / IIoT devices and mesh network creates big data opportunities and security, privacy issues
  • Interconnected opportunities – Customer-centric ecosystem will change customer experience
    • Intelligent infrastructure networks will increase “pay per use” situations
    • B2C will change to “C2B”
  • Data exchange brokerages (DEB)
    • Today, IoT data is in vertical silos (networks)
    • 5G connects networks & data – identify relationships between events & domain
    • Big data becomes increasingly important to share (platform) access and data to partners and customers
  • Catalyst for innovation - 4G created a whole new generation of mobile application and services
Text 5G use cases in a circle surrounded by 5 circles, clockwise from Top left, Critical control of remote device, Media Everywhere, Broadband experience everywhere anytime, Interaction human - IOT, Smart vehicles transport & infrastructure.

Use Cases

(existing)

Telecommunications carrier

  • Use 5G to directly send long form video via MMS (e.g. 30 minute video transmitted in seconds)

“Brand to consumer” experience

  • “Fixed wireless” indoor internet gateways

Automobile

  • Utilizing 5G NR C-V2X standard
    • Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) – Collision avoidance safety system
    • Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) – Traffic signal timing and priority
    • Vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) – Safety alerts to pedestrian and bicyclists
    • Vehicle-to-network (V2N) – Real-time traffic/routing, cloud services
  • Sharing sensor data and real world models
  • Coordinate driving for improved autonomous driving

Factories

  • No cables to move around (no re-cabling needed)
    • Place sensors everywhere – sensor for every 1 sq meter not possible today
    • Equipment (robots) can be moved easily
  • Tailor operations to different production methods and demands
  • Robot joints each have own IP address
  • Increased cameras allow for automatic obstacle avoidance (increased safety)

Smart cities

  • Use data proactively (versus reactively today – after incident occurs)
  • Cameras and sensors increase cities operational efficiency
  • ie., change traffic signals dynamically

(future)

Powerful cloud computing

  • Lower latency allows data center to become compute engine for mobile devices
    • i.e., Process game/VR/AR on cloud using high graphics without keeping large files on mobile

Better artificial intelligence (AI)

  • Allows balancing “edge mobile” and server power
  • Better service and more big data
  • Mobile becomes passive “display” for processed data
  • Lighter mobile device, lower costs, increased battery life

Better medical care

  • Lighter, longer lasting wearables
  • Monitors patient vitals and sends information directly to doctor
  • Realtime telemedicine with AR/VR already available
Blue triangle with text at the 3 corners. Clockwise, Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) Increased Capacity, Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) Ultra-High Reliability Mission Critical Applications, Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)

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