5G Technology

Ready for a world where we are all more connected than ever? Welcome to the future, where 5G has taken over!

With data transfer rates that are faster than the blink of an eye, high bandwidth, and bigger opportunities for connectivity, there’s no doubt that 5G is network technology’s next big upgrade.

In a 5G fueled future, entire supply chains and industries will be transformed dramatically. From healthcare to smart energy solutions and even cloud-connected traffic control, the possibilities of having applications that live up to their potential are endless.

Read our top picks of 5G blogs and resources to get yourself up to speed with all things 5G – from how it works to the latest updates, as well as how different industries are utilizing it and racing towards the full development of next-gen solutions.

There have been a lot of superlatives thrown around about 5G, up to and including it being the most important invention since electricity. While that is almost certainly not true, it is one of the hottest technology topics today. 5G offers a number of significant improvements compared to previous mobile generations. Those involved with the Internet of Things (IoT) have been intrigued to understand what capabilities might be used for connecting things other than phones, tablets and PCs.

5G technology is the latest generation of mobile communication networks, offering faster speeds and improved reliability compared to previous generations. It has the potential to revolutionize the way we live, work, and play, by enabling new and innovative applications that were previously not possible. In this blog post, we will explore the impact of 5G technology on society and what makes it so unique.

One of the most significant benefits of 5G technology is the increased speed and reliability it offers. With 5G networks, users can expect download speeds that are many times faster than 4G networks, making it possible to download large files, such as movies and games, in just a matter of seconds. Additionally, 5G networks offer improved reliability, with lower latency and greater network stability, making them ideal for applications that require real-time communication, such as virtual and augmented reality.

Another impact of 5G technology on society is the way it will transform the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT refers to the growing network of connected devices that communicate with each other, including smart homes, smart cities, and wearable devices. With 5G networks, these devices can communicate with each other faster and more reliably, enabling new and innovative applications such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and wearable devices.

5G technology also has the potential to change the way we work. With the increased speed and reliability of 5G networks, it will be possible to work from anywhere, at any time, with the same level of productivity as in the office. This could lead to a more flexible and efficient workforce, as well as new opportunities for remote work and telecommuting.

In addition, 5G technology has the potential to improve healthcare and make it more accessible. With 5G networks, medical professionals will be able to access patient data and communicate with each other in real-time, making it possible to provide better care and faster diagnoses. Additionally, 5G networks can be used to connect remote patient monitoring devices, making it possible to provide care to patients in remote and underserved areas.

Finally, 5G technology will also have a significant impact on entertainment. With 5G networks, users will be able to stream high-quality video, play online games, and access virtual and augmented reality experiences with ease. This will lead to a more immersive and interactive entertainment experience, enabling new and innovative forms of storytelling and entertainment.

In conclusion, 5G technology is set to have a profound impact on society, offering faster and more reliable communication, transforming the IoT, changing the way we work, improving healthcare, and revolutionizing entertainment. As 5G networks continue to roll out, it is likely that we will see even more exciting and innovative applications in the future.

What is 5G?

5G is the Fifth Generation of the technology standards for cellular communications. The capabilities required for 5G have been defined by the International Telecommunications Union. The standards have since been developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which is a consortium of the major global standards development organizations. Its name stems from its creation to develop the 3G standard in the late 1990s and it has stuck ever since. All subsequent cellular technology evolutions from 4G (i.e. LTE) onwards, have been standardized by 3GPP.

3GPP adds in new features on a regular basis, through a series of ‘releases. The latest was Release 16 which was frozen in July 2020. Release 15 included some elements related to 5G including ‘New Radio’ (5G NR), and IoT-related elements. Release 16 included substantial refinements to these, effectively providing a full 5G system. Further evolutions will occur in future, including refining capabilities and adding new ones, for instance Release 17 includes significant work on ‘Non-Terrestrial Networks’, e.g. satellites.

5G is the 5th generation mobile network. It is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. 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 a more uniform user experience to more users. Higher performance and improved efficiency empower new user experiences and connects new industries.

Features of 5G relevant for IoT

5G has significant changes to architecture and capabilities relative to 4G. With regard to 5G NR and the access network, there are three major capabilities delivered by 5G that will be of interest for IoT:

• Increased bandwidth – The enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) capability provides theoretical speeds of up to 10Gbit/s.
• Support for massive IoT deployments – the massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) features provide for supporting many more devices per cell, with additional features for supporting Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) deployments, for instance much longer battery life.
• Lower latency and reliability across all applications – The capabilities referred to as Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) reduce the time it takes messages to travel over the network and increases the reliability of delivery.

The following sub-sections explore each of these capabilities in turn.

Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)

Theoretically 5G New Radio offers speeds of up to 10Gbit/s but the reality is that the experienced maximum speeds by a single user will typically be 100-200Mbit/s. This represents a significant improvement (about five-fold) over LTE. The predominant benefit of this capability is to give a richer experience for mobile broadband usage. Most of that relates to video, gaming and other high bandwidth streaming. It also makes mobile a viable alternative to fixed line broadband for more households.

In the context of IoT there are a few immediately valuable use cases. Augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) is one, and there are also other applications where higher bandwidth will improve the experience, such as for connected car and for video cameras, for instance for CCTV. While higher bandwidth is certainly appreciated, and history suggests there is an almost unquenchable desire for more bandwidth, no-one has yet come up with a game-changing high bandwidth IoT use case that means that 5G is anything other than a welcome incremental addition courtesy of delivering superior throughput in a more cost-effective way. Growth of the metaverse, with associated demand for AR/VR may prove to be the critical use case, but today there is no killer app awaiting these higher data rates.

Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC)

This capability set is aimed specifically at IoT. The headline functionality is the ability to support at least 1 million devices per square km (up from 100,000 with LTE).

The 5G standard also incorporates, and builds upon, a set of existing standards aimed specifically at supporting low bandwidth, low power, IoT devices, including features such as power-saving mode (PSM) and extend Discontinuous Reception (eDRX) which extend battery life. These LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) technologies, NB-IoT and LTE-M are discussed at length in another of our Hot Topics pages: Low Power Wide Area Networks. In addition, within 5G Release 17 is 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) which sits somewhere between full 5G NR and the LPWA technologies.

Regarding the ability to support massive deployments, we are currently nowhere near needing this additional capacity. According to the Transforma Insights IoT Connected Devices Forecast there will be 6.7 billion connected devices in use across wide area and campus networks worldwide. Most of these will be simple sensors, reporting only occasionally. The volumes of connections do not particularly indicate an overwhelming demand for cells supporting thousands of devices, let alone hundreds of thousands, all active concurrently.

Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC)

Under the banner of URLLC 5G promises two changes that will open up certain use cases, particularly associated with IoT. The first is reducing latency. Latency refers to the delays in getting data packets from point A to point B. This is typically not a major consideration for, say, video streaming, but it is for gaming, where responsiveness is important. The time it takes for a message to traverse the network from the games console to the server and back again is critical to the user’s enjoyment. It is also a critical component of some of the most sophisticated 5G use cases that are proposed, such as remote surgery or managing autonomous vehicles. Another example is energy grids, where split second control might be necessary. The responsiveness of a device to the messages that are being sent to and from it needs to be very close to real-time. Clearly, in many of these examples, the requirement for low latency is associated with critical systems where reliability is also paramount. Hence low latency is bundled with ultra-reliability as a requirement.

Latency is measured in milliseconds, i.e. the number of thousandths of a second that it takes for a ping to travel across the network, or part of the network. Historically, mobile networks had quite poor latency in comparison with, say, fiber. LTE, for instance, has latency of over 50ms for the hop from the device to the cell tower. This compares to 20ms delay added by a 1,000km round trip from the tower to a central server via fiber. Plus, there’s likely some other delay added by moving through various network elements along the way. But, with an LTE network it’s safe to assume for most use cases that it is the radio access network part that is the delaying factor.

5G promises latency as low as 1ms, although in reality it will be more like 10ms for most applications. While a 5x improvement might not appear transformational, it may well be. This is less because of the capabilities that it enables and more because of the relative latencies of the various parts of the network. Getting total latency below 100ms, and ideally below 30ms, is needed for gaming and AR/VR. 5G certainly delivers that. However, demand for those types of services is, at best, unproven. A sweet spot for this kind of low latency connectivity occurs in the context of 5G Mobile Private Networks supporting industrial automation. The change that 5G creates is that the core network, rather than the access network, becomes the slow part. Historically the radio access network (RAN) was always the bottleneck. The 20ms delay added by a 1,000km round trip to a central server was not the limiting factor. With 5G as the RAN, the core network suddenly represents the majority of the delay.

The overall impact of a 5G NR access network would be to shake up the relationship between device, access network (i.e. the 5G) and transport network (i.e. the part that connects the base station to servers). In the past 10 years or more we have seen an inexorable move to the cloud, based on faster and faster transport network speeds. But, being limited by the speed of light, those fiber networks are unlikely to get much faster. There will increasingly be an advantage to putting more processing and storage at the edge of the network, for instance with 5G base-stations doubling up as mini data centers. Such a reduction in latency also encourages the shift of compute power for IoT applications out of the devices themselves and into the base-station; why have smart edge devices when the network latency back to a more cost-effective network edge compute function is only 10ms? The result of 5G deployments therefore is that compute shifts to the edge of the network, either from the cloud, or from the device, or both.

For more explanation of Edge Computing, including both network edge and device edge, see the Hot Topic Hub: Edge Computing.

Differences between the previous generations of mobile networks and 5G

Let us chart out the journey of various generations of wireless technology to fully understand the phenomena of the fifth generation:

1G, or the first generation of mobile networks, was established in the 1970s and 1980s and carried only speech data. They were transmitted unencrypted across radio waves. Japan pioneered the 1G revolution. The disadvantages of 1G were low coverage and sound quality, lack of system interoperability, and unencrypted voice.

The term “2G” first appeared in the 1990s. The communications were digital and encrypted. Data of higher quality could be shared. Text, photo, and multimedia communications could be sent. This resulted in a revolution in telecommunications. Mobile cell towers appeared, and consumers and companies quickly adopted them. Smartphones were invented.

3G was constructed in the early 2000s. Because online connectivity was standardized in this age, people could access data from anywhere in the world. This was four times quicker than two gigabits per second. 3G enhanced data transfer capabilities as well as video conferencing, video streaming, and voice quality. This generation’s characteristics were included in the launch of Blackberry. iPhones were introduced in 2007, and 3G technology made smartphones a necessity rather than a luxury item.

4G: Apple, Google, and Facebook were instrumental in the introduction of 4G technology. Consumers now have access to high-quality video streaming thanks to 4G technology. Currently, the most widely utilised technology, 4G technology, provides high-definition videos, conferencing, and gaming services. Switching from 2G to 3G was as simple as swapping sim cards. However, a change in mobile devices is required for 4G.

5G: We are at the cusp of the 5^th generation revolution. This generation promises higher speed, reduced latency, energy savings and higher capacity systems. The superior connectivity offered by 5G aspires to equal access to the network regardless of location or social status in society. 5G offers the possibility of innovations such as remote surgeries, telemedicine, self-driving cars, smart cities, smart buildings and smart factories, virtual reality experience while gaming, shopping and viewing sporting events. It looks to expand wireless services from the internet to the Internet of Things and communication sectors.

Which sectors and applications will see the greatest 5G adoption?

In terms of volumes of devices, the greatest impact of 5G will come from the use of the mMTC technologies NB-IoT and LTE-M, and subsequent evolutions of them in forthcoming Releases. Hundreds of millions of smart meters, environmental sensors, consumer goods and asset trackers (as well as numerous other applications) will be connected over the next ten years, far in advance of use of high bandwidth and/or low latency connections, at least in terms of volume of devices. For more on the two LPWA technologies, see our Hot Topics Hub: Low Power Wide Area Networks.

While the LPWA technologies may account for the majority of the volume, they won’t necessarily account for the majority of the revenue delivered by 5G. It will be the high bandwidth and/or low latency applications that will be the most impactful, and generate the most significant revenue.

The earliest ‘full’ 5G deployments in IoT will focus on private campus networks. These are the quickest and easiest to deploy and have a tremendous amount for focus from the network operators and infrastructure vendors today. Use cases include factories, warehouses, hospitals and oil refineries. For more on Mobile Private Networks, see our Hot Topics Hub: Mobile Private Networks.

Other applications will make strong use of 5G’s high bandwidth capabilities. We expect strong adoption of 5G in connected cars, where the automotive OEMs are always keen to future-proof their products, as well as other high bandwidth applications like CCTV and consumer electronics.

The applications relying on ultra-reliable and/or low latency communications will probably be slower to arrive as they represent more of a sea-change compared to existing use cases. Today there is a lot of testing the waters of potential use cases that will demand URLLC capabilities, such as autonomous vehicles or remote surgery. We await the killer use cases, although we expect that these will first emerge in the context of enterprise Mobile Private Networks.

New developments and applications in 5G technologies

Much of the transformative impact of 5G stems from the higher data transmission speeds and lower latency that this fifth generation of cellular technology enables. Currently, when you click on a link or start streaming a video, the lag time between your request to the network and its delivery to your device is about twenty milliseconds.

That may not seem like a long time. But for the expert mobile robotics surgeon, that lag might be the difference between a successful or failed procedure. With 5G, latency can be as low as one millisecond.

5G will greatly increase bandwidth capacity and transmission speeds. Wireless carriers like Verizon and AT&T have recorded speeds of one gigabyte per second. That’s anywhere from ten to one hundred times faster than an average cellular connection and even faster than a fiber-optic cable connection. Such speeds offer exciting possibilities for new developments and applications in numerous industries and economic sectors.

E-health services

For example, 5G speeds allow telemedicine services to enhance their doctor-patient relationships by decreasing troublesome lag times in calls. This helps patients return to the experience of intimacy they are used to from in-person meetings with health-care professionals.

As 5G technology continues to advance its deployment, telemedicine specialists find that they can live anywhere in the world, be licensed in numerous states, and have faster access to cloud data storage and retrieval. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is spurring new developments in telemedicine as a delivery platform for medical services.

Energy infrastructure

In addition to transforming e-health services, the speed and reliability of 5G network connectivity can improve the infrastructure of America’s energy sector with smart power grids. Such grids bring automation to the legacy power arrangement, optimizing the storage and delivery of energy. With smart power grids, the energy sector can more effectively manage power consumption and distribution based on need and integrate off-grid energy sources such as windmills and solar panels.

Farming

Another specific area to see increased advancement due to 5G technology is artificial intelligence (AI). One of the main barriers to successful integration of AI is processing speeds. With 5G, data transfer speeds are ten times faster than those possible with 4G. This makes it possible to receive and analyze information much more efficiently. And it puts AI on a faster track in numerous industries in both urban and rural settings.

In rural settings, for example, 5G is helping improve cattle farming efficiency. By placing sensors on cows, farmers capture data that AI and machine learning can process to predict when cows are likely to give birth. This helps both farmers and veterinarians better predict and prepare for cow pregnancies.

However, it’s heavily populated cities across the country that are likely to witness the most change as mobile networks create access to heretofore unexperienced connectivity.

Smart cities

Increased connectivity is key to the emergence of smart cities. These cities conceive of improving the living standards of residents by increasing the connectivity infrastructure of the city. This affects numerous aspects of city life, from traffic management and safety and security to governance, education, and more.

Smart cities become “smarter” when services and applications become remotely accessible. Hence, innovative smartphone applications are key to smart city infrastructure. But the potential of these applications is seriously limited in cities with spotty connectivity and wide variations in data transmission speed. This is why 5G technology is crucial to continued developments in smart cities.

Other applications

Many other industries and economic sectors will benefit from 5G. Additional examples include automotive communication, smart retail and manufacturing.

Solutions to the Biggest 5G Challenges

The complexity and diversity of the 5G specifications, the challenges of spectrum clearance and deployment, and the absence of a killer app are all headwinds facing 5G rollout. However, these are by no means intractable problems. The question is, what can be done about them?

A number of the current challenges — like spectrum clearing and auctioning, along with equipment deployment — will just take time and traditional effort to overcome. Cellular service providers in the U.S. have said they expect consumers to begin accessing the C-band awarded in spring 2021 by the same time next year. Extrapolate that out, and the C-band spectrum auctioned off in the fall of 2021 could be rolled out by the end of 2022. Considering only 12% of U.S. smartphone users have a 5G-enabled phone, this also gives consumers time to plan and make their device upgrades.

This also gives providers, operators and other players within the diversifying 5G ecosystem the opportunity to dig deeper into possible solutions for the hurdles the industry still faces — while also exploring new opportunities the technology presents.

Leveraging the Evolving 5G Ecosystem

While 5G has primarily depended on new, innovative technology for its solutions, in one case, new research is finding that existing, commercially available technology might be the best way to bring down the cost of in-demand millimeter wave coverage. Mobile Experts determined that operators could save up to 52% of the cost to deploy mmWave base stations by using a mix of wired and solar-powered smart repeaters to spread coverage between base stations — reducing the number of base stations needed in a given area.

The issue of 5G’s complexity and diversity, and the solution to driving faster development of 5G’s comprehensive feature set, will likely require a deeper engagement of the broader ecosystem. To that end, more companies outside of the traditional telecommunications industry and equipment providers are developing network and user equipment — like handsets, radios, small cells and customer premise equipment (a “5G box” you can put right in your home or building). Such efforts can address the broader needs caused by 5G’s complexity. There is so much demand for 5G technology and equipment that the opportunity is ripe for disruptive companies, startups and new entrants.

Open Radio Access Network, or Open RAN, is a great example of this. Open RAN has three key elements: cloudification of the RAN applications, intelligence and automation, and open internal RAN interfaces. With an open network, a set of standard specifications across the industry would allow cellular service providers to deploy components from various OEMs for their 5G technologies — radios, digital units, and so on — to get highly competitive pricing and potentially more features. Additionally, a majority of Jabil’s 5G survey respondents believe Open RAN adoption will help reduce their overall costs; 81% said it would help an organization cut their capital expenditures, while 85% believe it will help bring down their operational expenditures.