#5G refers to the 5th Generation of
mobile communication# networks and is a successor of 4G mobile
networks. The main attraction for 5 G is its #frequency #spectrum of 20
GHz to 60 GHz. This spectrum has very little congestion and provides extremely
fast data #download, which is 10 to 20 times #faster than in the
case of 4G. This feature of 5G has excited social media users, who
could now download movies and videos at a much greater speed. Till
2015, most service providers and users were shy of getting into implementing 5G
networks. However, by 2018, the USA, China and Sweden, Japan and South Korea
became early starters. By 2020, more than 25 countries invested in 5G
implantation. Despite Corona Pandemic spreading globally since Jan 2020, there
has been a lot of research and production of 5G equipment and devices. As per a
report published in Mar 2021 by Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GMSA),
there were 94 service providers in 40 countries who have invested in research
and establishing 5 G networks. The entire world is keenly waiting for 5G
deployment, to get a much faster #data #transfer for #social #media users. 5G
will also provide wide network coverage for # IoT devices, #intelligent
#devices and equipment, #navigation of #autonomous mobile vehicles, # boats and
#ships.
4G spectrum is below 4GHz, and already
overcrowded. It has a shortage of free bands of frequencies for further
expansion. As such, a global consortium of telecom groups, that
is, controlling frequency spectrum (3GPP) has allowed 5G implementation
using frequencies from 20 GHz to 60 GHz. This will make things better /
efficient for everyone, whether at home, in transit or at the workplace.
Verizon, Intel and many other service providers are assuring better and more
efficient services in a 5G environment. This will cater to the needs of mobile
cell phone users, the business community, homes, labs, manufacturing/processing
plants, autonomous vehicles and users of VR/AR. This will also provide job
opportunities for developing new communication and computing hardware,
accessories and software.
Evolution of
5G Technology. Although 5G mobile data networks became available for the first
time in 2019, these were expensive and limited to functioning in confined areas
or major cities. A brief history of various generations of
communication networks is given in chronological order, in succeeding
paragraphs.
· 1st Generation.
(1G), It had only Analog voice capability, with a limited
coverage area.
· 2nd
Generation (2G). It had a Digital voice, Data capability and
Text messaging (SMS) facility. 2G network was based on Global System for
Mobiles (GSM) and was first deployed in 1992. 2G was
simple and convenient technology to cover large areas through a large number of
microwave towers (Hilltop or Rooftop). However, it could not meet the global
demand of large social media networks.
· 3rd Generation
(3G). With the ever-growing demand for mobile communication facilities,
improvement in computing and communication devices and availability of Android
like OS, 3G deployments started in 2001. 3G had both GSM technology as well as
CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technologies. 3G also could not match the
ever-growing user demand for faster streaming and downloading of favourite
songs and videos.
· 4th Generation
(4G). The development of 4G during early 2000 was a great leap forward for
mobile technology as it provided data rates 500 times faster than data rates in
3G. With demand for multimedia and faster transfer data, 4G deployment by
leading service providers started in 2010. The first 4G phones in the US
appeared in 2010, followed closely by a host of 4G applications - from Uber to
WhatsApp. 4G was based on LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology
which allowed support for HD TV on mobile, high–quality video calls, and
fast mobile browsing. This also acted as a trigger to the evolution of
smartphones and tablets. 4G is now common throughout the world, but it cannot
handle a huge number of connections, very fast data rate and huge data
volume, required in the emerging environment of Multi-media and
Internet of Things (IoT). It is expected that there will be more than 20
billion interconnected devices by the end of 2020. The number of
necessities a new technology like 5G.
· 5th Generation
(5G. 5G technology follows a newer protocol duly approved by 3GPP and it
will transmit information at an Extremely High Frequency (EHF) in the
range of 20GHz -60 GHz. It will provide an efficient exchange of a high volume
of data among IoT devices, mobile vehicles /boats/ships, traffic lights and
many other intelligent devices located in offices/homes or anywhere. 5G
can support up to a million devices per square kilometre, while 4G supports
only about 1000 devices per square kilometre. Billions of connected devices are
required to operate together in the IoT environment. For which 5 G is most
suitable in handling thousands of devices simultaneously, allowing a
single network to service mobile telephones, equipment sensors, video cameras,
smart street lights and without the congestion or breakdown of services.
Currently, the fastest 4G mobile networks offer around 45Mbps speeds, while 5 G
promises data transfer speed 1Gbps (Gigabit per second = 1,000Mbps).
According to chipmaker Qualcomm, 5G could achieve browsing and download
speeds about 10 to 20 times faster than the current speed with 4G
technologies. While China and South Korea have started 5G deployment
in 2019, most countries are a bit concerned about extra costs in infrastructure
and the cost of new phones and they may launch true 5G services in 2022.
5G Multiple
Accessing Schemes. Following multiple access schemes are being
considered for 5G.
· Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). OFDMA has been widely
used and very successful for 4G and could be used as a 5G multiple access
schemes.
· Sparse Code
Multiple Access (SCMA). SCMA is a combination of OFDMA
and CDMA and is considered as a 5G multiple access schemes. In this
scheme, a large number of users can be added while maintaining the
spectral efficiency levels.
5G Modulation Schemes. The modulation
scheme used for 5G will have a major impact on 5G performance. The
potential applications for 5G including high-speed video downloads, gaming,
car-to-car / car-to-infrastructure communications, general cellular
communications, IoT intercommunication require a waveform modulation
scheme that can provide the required performance. All this is possible
with waveform modulation. Some of the key requirements that need to be supported
by the modulation scheme are given below:
· Capable of fast
switching between uplink and downlink
· Capable of handling
high data rate
· Able to provide low
latency transmissions for long and short data bursts
· Provide energy-efficient
communications by minimizing the on-times for low data rate devices.
5G Multiplexing Schemes. Some commonly
used multiplexing schemes for mobile communication Networks are very
briefly given below:
· Frequency Division
Multiplexing (FDM). FDM is a good old analogue multiplexing
scheme that is applied when the bandwidth of the link is greater than the
combined bandwidth of the signals to be transmitted.
· Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). OFDM has been in use and
proven efficient scheme in 4G System. It operates well in situations where
there is selective fading. It could be one of the choices for 5G deployment.
· Time-Division
Multiplexing (TDM). TDM scheme is used to transmit a signal over a single
communication channel by dividing the time frame into smaller time
slots/slices. TDM is mainly applied to digital signals where each
message signal is allotted one slot.
· Wavelength Division
Multiplexing (WDM). This is a technology for Fiber Optic
Communications, which has a high communication capacity. This
scheme is suitable for 5G environment.
Leading 5G Vendors. The new 5G
communications standards promise huge improvements in transmission speed,
efficiency, latency, energy saving, reliability and capacity to support the
plethora of smart devices, equipment, machinery, vehicles, household appliances
and IoT. Huawei, the Chinese tech giant is one of the
world's largest makers of 5G base stations and transmitters in the
world. Many countries in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Indonesia Australia, New
Zealand, and Canada are collaborating with them to accelerate their implantation
of 5G. However, its products may not be available to American
consumers because of sanctions placed on the company by the U.S. government.
Some other 5G leading vendors are Verizon, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard
Enterprise (HPE), Intel, Nokia, and Qualcomm. There are
still more such 5G players in Japan, Germany, China, Russia, South Korea,
Europe and Israel who are actively participating in the implementation of
5G. Other fast-developing nations like India, Brazil, South Africa are gearing
up to import 5G technologies from China or the USA but go a little slower
in their implementation. The views/initiatives of some of the leading vendors
are briefly given in the succeeding paragraphs.
· China: In
China, the 5G network was launched on Oct 31, 2019, by the three largest
Chinese network operators namely Xinhua, China Mobile and China Unicom. These
vendors have already activated their networks at an affordable cost of $ 18 per
month and in less than five months after they were issued 5G licenses. Each of
these network operators has offered its 5G services across 50 Chinese cities.
· USA. a) Verizon was the first, to launch mobile
5G services within 30 cities towards the
end of 2019. These 5G services
are at an extra cost of $10/month. There are currently three 5G-capable
smartphones in the market, namely Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G, LG's V50
Thin Q 5G and Motorola’s Moto Z3 for Verizon with 5G.
b) Ericsson has already introduced some pre-commercial 5G
products in the market, including its 5G New Radio (NR).It supports
Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Massive Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output
(MIMO). c) HPE in collaboration with 5G Lab Germany is working on 5G wireless
networks implementation. d) Intel is another prime 5G vendor. e)
Nokia has already demonstrated a commercial platform, using its 5G-ready
Air Scale Radio Access technology, working together with its
Cloud Packet Core. e). Qualcomm recently announced its 5G NR
mm-Wave prototype system based on the 5G NR The system operates in millimetre
wave (mm-Wave) spectrum bands above 24GHz. USA, India Japan and Australia
have formed a “Quad” to neutralize Chinese advantage in
establishing 5G Networks.
·
South Korea.SK Telecom and Korea Telecom (KT) are
the main competitors for the South Korean 5G market. SK Telecom has acquired a
spectrum of 28 GHz frequencies and had claimed in April of 2019, to be the
first mobile carrier in the world to launch 5G services to work on 5G
smartphones. Likewise, SK Telecom has asserted an edge over rival Verizon,
as the former has launched 5G services available at the same time as Samsung
Galaxy S10 5G.
· United
Kingdom: During 2019, four 5G service providers
EE, Vodafone UK, Three UK, and O2 UK launched commercial
deployments of 5G in the U.K. Three UK has announced an unlimited data service
that is speed-cap free at no extra cost.
· Germany. In 2019, Vodafone
Germany started with 20 cities and municipalities (including Cologne and
Dusseldorf), while Deutsche Telekom Germany launched in only six (including
Berlin and Munich). Vodafone plans to offer 5G services for $5.61 less per
month than Deutsche Telekom.
· Japan. Japan had
accelerated its 5 G implementation and deployed successfully during the
2020/2021 Olympics. It had provided 5G connectivity in Tokyo and a few
other select cities during 2020
· Russia. They are moving
cautiously and their work will start in 2020 but get real momentum
in 2021
· Switzerland. The European carrier
Swisscom’s goal is to make Switzerland a 5G country with a nationwide 5G
New Radio (NR) Non-Standalone (NSA) network established by 2020. The
carrier is preceding its network launch with the sale of 5G-capable
smartphones and subscriptions
· Nordic Countries. In 2018, Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden began a unique experiment of having toward
being countries with 5G by signing a letter of intent. The goal is
to create a unified approach to 5G deployment in each country
to allow for an interconnected 5G network throughout the region..
· India. After the initial
hesitation and effect of Corona, India has now cleared 5 G networks to be implemented
in a phased manner, starting from 2022 onward. . However, smartphones
capable of delivering 5G speeds have been available in India
since 2020. Korean handset maker Samsung and Chinese players such as
OnePlus, Huawei, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi have already made
their 5G smartphone launch plans for India. However, with Chinese
ingress in Leh Sector of India, Indo- China business relationship has taken a
bigger knock. India will not allow Chinese telecom companies to have
business with Indian companies. In 2019,
AirTel (Bharti Telecom) India was trying to collaborate with China telecom
giant Huawei. GOI has advised Airtel to drop the China offer and seek
partnership with some other global player. Another major telecom player
Reliance Industries (JIO) Mobile telecommunications had joined hands in Jun
2020 with QUALCOMM, California, USA to develop 5 G capability in
India first and then export to other counties. Reliance (Jio) is stepping up
its efforts for the early launch of 5G in 2022.
Job
potential with 5 G. 5G will transform the working environment and lifestyle across the world
by creating an ecosystem where everyone is connected to everything, all the
time. It will bring changes in how we live, work, travel, play, teach and learn new
skills. Definitely, there will be a loss of some
jobs but companies like Cisco, Intel, Qualcomm and other
electronic industries are set to offer new jobs but require a new level of
competency in new skill sets. It is well recognized that deployments of
5G-based wireless services for businesses and consumers will help in sustained
job growth. According to a recent Accenture report.
The wireless industry supports over 4.7 million jobs and contributes
about $475 billion a year to the U.S. economy.” Some U.S. wireless companies
have already started to invest an estimated $275 billion into building 5G
networks. Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) believes
that full deployment of 5G will create three million jobs and boost the gross
domestic product by $500 billion, CTIA has estimated that one out of every 100
Americans “will benefit from a new 5G jobs”. A similar transformation is an
expe ted in most of the emerging economies of the world, Most of the job
creation is coming from wireless operators and their
infrastructure vendors. In the USA, some lead companies like Verizon,
AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are hiring 5G talent. At the same time Ericsson,
Cisco, Nokia, Spectrum, and Case Systems are also hiring fresh manpower to help
provide their service provider with equipment and devices to implement, test,
manage and accelerate 5G deployments.
Due to a very high
speed of data transfer and very large bandwidth,5G will accelerate the progress
in the development of several Internet of Things (IoT) devices. 5G will be able
to efficiently handle a large amount of data generated by IoT
devices., It will also cause disruption to old processes and human-intensive
jobs in industries. On the plus side, 5G promises new job
opportunities across many fields. As per the projection of Intel, 5G will
transform the industrial world to support, smart cities, smart agriculture,
smart homes, smart offices, smart industries, smart media using VR/AR,
healthcare services and autonomous cars. It is expected to deliver data at 10
times less latency, 50 times more speed, and 1000 times more
capacity. Intel also estimated that total economic output by 2035
will be around $ 10 Trillion. Some of the common applications of 5G Technology
are briefly given below:
·
Agriculture. As per Samsung's Alok Shah, VP of
Networks Strategy, " 5G will be able
to connect farms and farming equipment and sensors (
IoT) in various agriculture locations so that farmers can get
much more insight into how crops are doing and get much better yields
out,"
·
Energy and utilities. 5G technologies
could create more innovative solutions in energy production, transmission,
distribution, of power. Likewise, it could also improve service/utilities like
water and Cooking Gas.
·
Excursion Adventure and Tourism. Due to its vast and
very fast communication networks, 5G will provide instant communication from
anywhere to anywhere. This will facilitate operations of Tourism companies,
Adventure clubs, and Exertion trips across difficult terrain.
·
Financial Services. 5 G will
accelerate the digitization of financial institutes. This could start from
Internal Operations of customer service. Increased security and speed will
allow the user to carry out their transactions very speedily.
·
Healthcare. In the healthcare industry, 5G could
increase efficiencies and revenue, helping health systems create faster, more
efficient networks to keep up with the large amounts of data involved. The
technology could also enable the use of remote monitoring devices to improve health
outcomes.
·
Insurance. 5G will help insurance agents make
more effective decisions, as they will have access to larger and more accurate
data about the client
·
Manufacturing, Manufacturing production operations
will become more flexible and efficient, It will also improve the safety of
personnel and equipment/machinery and consequently lower equipment/machinery
maintenance costs.
·
Media and Entertainment. 5G will bring
about new opportunities in mobile media, mobile advertising, home broadband,
and TV, as well as interactive technologies like VR and augmented reality (AR).
·
Retail stores. With the availability of
high-speed multi-media data transfer using smartphones on 4 G/LTE, millions of
customers find it convenient to do their shopping using smartphones at any time
and from anywhere. With safe Payment Gateways and a fast delivery
system, customers are having exciting experiences. With the faster data
speeds and very large bandwidth to carry very large multimedia traffic, 5G will
provide new retail experiences like virtual reality (VR) dressing rooms.
·
Transportation. Transportation systems ranging from
public buses to private logistic fleets will gain increased visibility and
control thanks to 5G, the report said. 5G will allow improved
vehicle-to-vehicle communications, enabling more self-driving car testing.
These networks will also help cities gain access to more data around their
transportation systems.
·
VR/AR Future of AR and VR depends on
reliable 5G networks, according to the report. These technologies require a
less expensive, wider network with lower latency to continue developing and
reaching widespread adoption, as they require massive amounts of data
processing.
5G Issues Involved. One of the key
issues with the 5G requirements is that there are many different interested
parties involved, each wanting their own needs to be met by the new 5G wireless
system. Some basic issues are briefly enumerated below:
·
Additional infrastructure. requirements. Existing microwave
towers and antennas cannot be used for 5G. It will take a lot of investment by
the government and mobile network operators to develop an infrastructure and
make it work. For 5G to work effectively and profitably, 5G service
providers are required to install a much higher number of cell
transmitters and receivers that are closer to the ground and closer to
homes/workplaces. It's a large investment and requires cell companies to be
completely committed to the technology, and it also means more negotiating with
small towns and municipalities that might not want so many smaller cell boxes
polluting their streets.
·
Security. 5G networks new level
of cyber threats particular for IoT environment where thousands of
devices may be interworking in autonomies mode, A hacker can play havoc by
blocking the backbone of network or feeding misinformation
and letting the system malfunction, Governments and mobile service
providers must ensure that they have Radio, Multiplexors, Modems and
Data Switches have the correct level of security in place before 5G can be
rolled out.
· Complexity. Greater speed of 5 G brings
great complexity in terms of design and maintenance of hardware
equipment/devices.
·
More equipment. Because the millimetre
wave used by the 5G range is shorter than that of 4G, more towers, base
stations, signal repeaters, are required. This could result in prolonged
deployment times and spotty coverage, or no coverage in rural areas.
·
Atmospheric Interference. 5G will also
be more susceptible to atmospheric interference and weather conditions like
rain, snow or sand storms
·
Availability of 5G types of smartphones. Availability of 5G
types smartphones is limited to a few models like galaxy 10 of Samsung, LG v50 thin
q™ 5G and Motorola moto z with 5G. The present cost
of galaxy 10 is $1299. However, as further development takes place
many more smartphones will appear in the market and costs will come down
·
Incompatibility with 4 G. The 5
radio system, known as 5G-NR, isn't compatible with 4G. Initially, however, all
5G devices will need 4G capacity as well, as they'll lean on the older networks
to make connections when 5G isn't available
·
Need More towers. As 5G uses a millimetre wave (EHF)
band around – 60 GHz, it transfers information at short
distances requiring more transmitters and base stations as signal
repeaters. This could result in prolonged deployment times, or limited coverage
in rural areas, mountainous or jungle areas.
Summary.
Decidedly, 5G benefits outweigh its few
limitations in a big proportion. As reported by Intel, the
productivity of various industries will increase by 2025 say $250M by saving in
computing hours, $570 B gain in productivity gained through IoT, $700B from
reduction global healthcare.
During this decade 2020-2030, our
future communications systems will have multi-gigabit download speeds and the
capability to handle millions of connected devices as a part of
the Internet of Things (IoT). The increased bandwidth will enable
machines, robots, drones, ships/ boats and autonomous vehicles to collect and
transfer/share data at greater reliability and super-fast speeds. As
per Intel claims, when fully implemented, 5G technology will deliver data
at 10 times less latency,50 times more speed and 1000 times more
capacity. Indeed, 5G will provide a new experience to the customers,
users and researchers. Many leading industries and organizations have already
started incorporating appropriate changes in their processes and deployment of
matching hardware, software and knowledge workforce resources. This will
provide a quantum jump in supporting smart agriculture, smart cities, smart
homes, IoT and Smart Machinery. 5 G has a smaller carbon emission footprint
and is also energy efficient.
The spread of 5G is a global
phenomenon. As 5G supports the IoT environment, everyone is attracted to 5G. As
per a survey by leaders in 5 G, technology, there will be one billion users by
2025. Therefore, it is the right time for all young professionals to quickly
equip themselves with 5G needed skills. Let us all get set to be part of
this new technology that is already impacting our lifestyle and work processes.
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