All About 5G: The Future of Wireless Technology

What is 5G?

5G isn’t expected in the UK until 2020, but many companies are already preparing. Trial networks are being tested in other parts of the world.

We look all about 5G technology is, how it works, and its future impact.

5G means the fifth generation of wireless mobile standards.

According to the Next Generation Mobile Network’s white paper, 5G must focus on user experience, system performance, improved services, business models, and operations.

The 3GPP released the 5G New Radio (NR) specification in late 2017. Chipmakers are already building “5G-ready” chips.

The GSMA says a 5G connection should meet most of these 8 criteria:

1–10 Gbps to endpoints
1 millisecond round trip delay
1000× bandwidth per area
10–100× connected devices
99.999% perceived availability
100% perceived coverage
90% less network energy use
Up to 10 years battery life for low-power devices

Earlier generations like 3G enabled mobile internet, calls, and texts by connecting to nearby towers.

4G improved speed and lowered latency. It’s about five times faster than 3G and can reach up to 100 Mbps.

Hubert Da Costa of Cradlepoint said 5G Wi-Fi will be three times faster than 4G. Speeds will range from 450 Mbps (single-stream) to 1.3 Gbps (three-stream). He added that this will accelerate the rise of IoT and smart devices.

Advantages of 5G

5G will be much faster than 4G.

It could boost productivity, with theoretical speeds of 10,000 Mbps.

Paul Gainham of Juniper Networks said 4G already offers hundreds of Mbps, but 5G will bring gigabit speeds. This will enable new apps that need high-speed connections.

Faster downloads and better app performance are major benefits.

Disadvantages of 5G

5G will be costly to implement. While new phones may support it, older ones could become outdated.

Wireless connection quality depends on the number of connected devices. Adding 5G may crowd the spectrum.

4G and 3G rollouts have had delays. Many UK areas still lack proper 4G, so 5G could face similar issues.

The Future of 5G

5G is still being developed and not yet public. But many companies are already building and testing 5G products.

Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Ericsson, and BT have made key progress. More companies are investing in partnerships and R&D.

Qualcomm and Samsung focus on hardware—Qualcomm with modems and Samsung with routers.

Nokia and Ericsson aim their 5G platforms at carriers. Ericsson launched the first 5G radio system and began testing in 2015.

Who is Investing in 5G?

Nokia and Ericsson have carrier-focused 5G platforms. Ericsson’s platform includes the first 5G radio system.

In 2017, Nokia launched “5G First,” a full 5G platform for carriers.

The City of London turned on public Wi-Fi in 2017 with 400 transmitters. It’s now being used for 5G trials.

In Budget 2017, Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged £16 million for a 5G hub. But given past rollouts, the pace of 5G is still uncertain.

Newport, Wales, is building a tech hub for 5G, robotics, and driverless cars. It received £38 million to make semiconductors.

Ericsson also teamed with BT, Verizon, and King’s College London for a 5G drone trial. The trial launched in the US and tested in London using BT’s 5G network slice.

UK network providers like EE and Vodafone are also investing. EE aimed to start rollout in 2019; Vodafone planned full 5G services by early 2020. Vodafone ran its first 5G test on a 3.4GHz spectrum in April 2018.

Orange and O2 are also testing 5G in the UK.

Chipmakers Intel and Qualcomm are competing too. Intel plans 5G laptops by 2019. Qualcomm is building Snapdragon X50 5G devices for the same year.

Source and Credits :: TechWorld