Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, once said, “Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds.”
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.
Emerging 5G networks feature lower latency, higher capacity, and increased bandwidth compared to 4G. These network improvements will have far-reaching impacts on how people live, work, and play all over the world.
Speed Upgrades
Each wireless network generation has reflected a significant increase in speed, and the benefits of 5G—the fifth generation of cellular network technology—will push far beyond 4G LTE.Predicted speeds of up to 10 Gbps represent up to a 100x increase compared to 4G.1 In practical terms, 4G vs. 5G speed enhancements will mean exciting possibilities for consumers. Transferring a high-resolution movie at peak download speeds will go from taking seven minutes to just six seconds.2 That time savings could mean being able to grab that new hit film before the flight attendant asks you to put your phone in airplane mode.
After carriers roll out full 5G features, consumers and businesses may begin to consider 5G networks a strong alternative for fast broadband connections.
Low Latency
Latency measures how long a signal takes to go from its source to its receiver, and then back again. One of the goals for each wireless generation has been to reduce latency. New 5G networks will have even lower latency than 4G LTE, with the round-trip transmission of data taking less than five milliseconds.1
5G latency will be faster than human visual processing, making it possible to control devices remotely in near-real time. Human reaction speed will become the limiting factor for remote applications that use 5G and IoT—and many new applications will involve machine-to-machine communication that isn’t limited by how quickly humans can respond.
The Role of 5G in Internet of Things (IoT)
5G is the fifth-generation cellular technology that revolutionises and enables new capabilities such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud computing, Edge computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Adoption of 5G and the IoT is being driven by a number of factors, including increased demand from consumers and enterprises and the availability of more affordable devices. Significant operator investment in 5G technology, spectrum and infrastructure, together with the implementation of global standards, are also helping drive growth and increase market interest in the IoT. AI, Cloud computing and Edge computing will help handle the data volumes generated by the IoT, as 5G boosts network capabity. Further 5G enhancements, such as networking slicing, private & dedicated networks and 5G core, will ultimately help realise the vision of a global IoT network, supporting a massive number of connected devices.
Challenges and Future Prospects of 5G Implementation
Abstract:
Fifth generation networks have been introduced in response to the need for exponential growth of mobile data traffic and the provision of new generation of services. The ability to provide such services with high flexibility requires the use of new technologies and the extensive changes to existing mobile networks. This paper examines the most important challenges in the implementation of 5G from the technology aspects including mmWave communications, backhaul technology, Technology maturity, energy consumption, EMF and business aspects including business models, ecosystem maturity, Coordination of industry verticals and regulation aspects including spectrum management and fragmentation. Moreover, for some of them solutions suggested by vendor reports and academic works are discussed and analyzed in this article.
The Future Beyond 5G: Anticipating the Next Technological Leap
The transition to 5G is still underway, but buzz is already building about 6G, which experts say could finally unlock the internet’s almost magical potential.
“5G is trying to enable the Internet of Everything, and it’s making some steps toward that, but 6G will really get it right,” says Jeffrey Andrews, director of 6G@UT, a research center at the University of Texas at Austin that was launched in June.
5G-enabled carrier frequencies of above 6 gigahertz will be used for the first time in a cellular system; much greater bandwidth and data rates than with 4G are the result. 6G will take 5G’s high throughput capabilities to a new level by tapping into the terahertz radio frequency band, according to John Byrne, service director of telecom technology and software at analytics company GlobalData.
“That takes every advantage of 5G and kind of puts it on steroids,” Byrne says. “You’re talking about maybe a thousand times more throughput capacity, whereas with 5G, the holy grail is to be able to get to 1 gigabyte per second on your device.”
