5G
1.Context
The upcoming spectrum auction, which the government is expected to conduct over the next three months, may see a subdued response from telcos as demand is likely to be restricted to airwaves which will be up for renewal in some circles
2.What is 5G?
- 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 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 experiences and connect new industries.
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3.What underlying technologies make up 5G?
- 5G is based on OFDM (Orthogonal frequency- division multiplexing), a method of modulating a digital signal across several different channels to reduce interference.
- 5G uses a 5G NR air interface alongside OFDM principles and bandwidth technologies such as sub-6 GHz and mm-Wave.
- Like 4G LTE, 5G OFDM operates based on the same mobile networking principles.
- The new 5G NR air interface can further enhance OFDM to deliver a much higher degree of flexibility and scalability.
- This could provide more 5G access to more people and things for a variety of different use cases.
- 5G will bring wider bandwidths by expanding the usage of spectrum resources from sub- 3 GHz used in 4G to 100 GHz and beyond.
- 5G can operate in both lower bands (e.g., sub-6 GHz) as well as mmWave (e.g., 24 GHz and up), Which will bring extreme capacity, multi-Gbps throughput and low latency.
- 5G is designed to not only deliver faster, better mobile broadband services compared to 4G LTE, but can also expand into new service areas such as mission-critical communications and connecting the massive IoT.
- This is enabled by many new 5G NR air interface design techniques, such as a new self-contained TDD subframe design.
4.The differences between the previous generations of mobile networks and 5G
First-generation- 1G
In the 1980s: 1G delivered analogue voice.
Second generation- 2G
In the early 1990s: 2G introduced digital voice (e.g. CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access).
Third generation-3G
In the early 2000s: 3G brought mobile data (e.g. CDMA2000)
Fourth-generation- 4G LTE
The 2010s: 4G LTE ushered in the era of mobile broadband.
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- 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G all led to 5G, which is designed to provide more connectivity than was ever available before.
- 5G is a unified, more capable air interface. It has been designed with an extended capacity to enable next-generation user experiences, empower new deployment models and deliver new services.
- With high speeds, superior reliability and negligible latency, 5G will expand the mobile ecosystem into new realms.
- 5G will impact every industry, making safer transportation, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, digitized logistics and more a reality.
Source: Qualcomm
