Never ever in the history of mobile network history has there been so much hype about a novice technology 5G. It looks like that mobile phone operators, handset manufacturers and equipment vendors are engaged into a massive global game in seeking to claim to be the first to achieve something out of the box in all aspects of technology. But the stakes are high and the mobile network industry anxiously needs 5G, whether for discovering new revenue sources, market share or to enhance growth.
What’s new with 5G?
There is no such specific definition of 5G but it is built to give devices- like your smartphone or tablet- faster and more reliable internet connectivity. The ‘G’ in 5G means ‘generation’ and this is the reason it is called the next generation mobile network.
The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) has stated that 5G needs to provide higher internet speeds. This clearly means that 5G will be able to carry more data which further provides enhanced coverage.
How is 5G different from 4G?
Though the exact 5G speed is yet to be finalised, the Next Generation Mobile Networks alliance states that for something like 5G must offer faster data rates.
Next Generation Mobile Networks is anticipating the speeds for 20 Gbps and one millisecond latency. 5G would provide download speeds almost 40 times faster than 4G. NGMN believes 5G would bring an era of being able to download files within a fraction of second; which is imperative for the success if smart homes and self-driving cars. Initial speed tests by The Sun on EE’s network have unveiled internet speeds in Central London of around 400Mbps.
How about the Mobile Operators?
The benefits are immense for the operators. Higher frequencies and new MIMO antenna technology will help provide better coverage and enhanced capacity. This will further ensure an intuitive user experience, even as demand spikes up in the densely populated areas.
Improved coverage through 5G is also crucial for the functioning of the Internet of Things whereby a massive number of sensors, embedded systems and devices will required to be wirelessly interconnected for the purpose of data sharing. The 5G supported technology will also enable operators to offer different type of services to diverse groups over the same network but in an ameliorated and more managed way. Advancement towards 5G ha been rapid the first formal 5G standards were approved in December 2017, but the pace of roll out will be primarily by demand, and considering the huge investments made in 4G and earlier generation networks, 5G has to be paid for with real revenue.
5G Wireless Use Cases
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
For a cloud based server to provide real-time sensory environment to a wireless user, the connection between the user and the server must supply 5 gigabits per second of bandwidth. Moreover, the compute intensive nature of AR workload might actually mandate that such workloads be directed to secrets positioned closer to their users.
Cloud Computing
5G comes with a potential for distributing cloud computing services much closer to its users. If latencies can be eliminated sufficiently, applications that currently need PCs could be easily relocated to smaller devices- even the mobile devices.
Internet of Things
In a house with low latency 5G connectivity, today said hyper smart devices could be replaced with dumb terminals that follow the instructions of the nearby edge computing system. Kitchen appliances, climate control systems, and primarily, health monitors can all be made easier to produce and easier to control.
So are you ready for 5G? Well, we all are excited to unleash its speed!
