The very first article on InfluentialFuture’s website is an interview. It was setup to discuss one of the most popular and emerging topics in terms of new technology – 5G. I interviewed an expert with close to 30 years of experience within all areas of telecommunications and his views were truly remarkable. All the views expressed here are personal views and in no way represent any institution or organization.

What is 5G?

5G is the next generation of mobile digital network standard, what promises to deliver improved end-user experience by offering new applications and services through gigabit speeds, and significantly improved performance and reliability.

What is the story behind 5G?

 Limitations of 4G networks

1.       Limited capacity of existing 4G networks

2.       Better Security

3.       Better Quality

4.       High latency for high volume of data

Is 5G going to accomplish everything people say it will or think it will?

Yes for following reasons:

Better Security

Better Quality

Low latency for high volume of data – a 10x decrease in end-to-end latency down to 1ms

5G will support a 100x increase in traffic capacity.

5G networks will operate in a high-frequency band of the wireless spectrum, between 28 GHz and 60 GHz. This range is known as the millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. The sub-6 GHz range that LTE calls home will also be used. 5G is expected to add unlicensed frequencies such as the 3.5 GHz to its list of new frequencies for mobile use. This means a lot of bandwidth will be available to users.

However declared 5G unlimited capacity has to be proved

What are the challenges of implementing 5G?

Breakthrough technologies that are integral to 5G, such as Massive MIMO, network slicing, beamforming and network function virtualization (NFV) necessitate phased approaches to 5G deployment, as well as significant investment, with telecom companies expected to spend upwards of $300 billion on 5G network deployments over the next decade.

Security issues, standards development and the requisite CPU power to drive virtual functions are some of the many obstacles being tackled by NFV developers.

The millimeter wave is another essential 5G ingredient that can present technological and logistical challenges. Due to the limited range and inability to transmit through solid objects, the sheer volume of antennae required introduces hurdles that can only be addressed through methodical, incremental deployment. Spectral efficiency, measured in (bit/s)/Hz, is currently gated by the Shannon Limit which defines the maximum rate that data can be sent over any medium with zero error.

This theoretical ceiling is much less than what is expected and required for 5G deployment. Only Massive MIMO and beamforming, utilizing large antenna arrays, will enable 5G to effectively circumvent this natural speed limit.

While the ecosystem is not fully developed, 5G may not yet be an appropriate consideration across all regions.

5G deployment considerations are more bureaucratic in nature. Local regulations, zoning and aesthetic concerns come into play when densely packed 5G hardware is positioned in common areas.

How quickly can it be deployed? Any projections?

The number of 5G commercial deployments is expected to reach 55 globally in 2019, more than three times the total completed in 2018. This includes 21 new 5G deployments in Europe and 10 in Asia and Australia. In USA cell operators had implemented its 5G backbone in over 1,000 cities in 36 states. In total, around 100 cities have been offered access to their 5G networks.

By the end of 2020 around 200 million subscribers are expected globally, most in China.

This year-over-year increase is a clear signal of strong competition between commercial operators as they strive to enter the 5G marketplace.

However specialist and governments are still in a phase of 5G evaluation and consensus building.

Release of the 3GPP new radio (NR) non-standalone specification followed several months later. The non-standalone concept has been developed as a means of introducing 5G functionality on top of 4G/LTE infrastructure, which has led to a wide variety of potential 5G deployment scenarios.

Commercial 5G networks are expected to start deployment after 2020, as 5G standards are finalized.  By 2025, the GSM Association (GSMA) expects 5G connections to reach billion, some 12 per cent of total mobile connections. It also forecasts overall operator revenues to grow at a CAGR of 2.5 per cent, to reach USD 1.3 trillion by 2025.

Would it take away the need for broadband?

Although more emphasis is often placed on the wireless aspects of 5G technology, the role of fiber in 5G commercial deployment is pivotal, since most of the network infrastructure is made up of fiber. By 2023, approximately two thirds of all backhaul connections will be fiber-based. Connections between the next generation core (NGC) and NR active antennae are also completed using a fiber pathway. Validation of all fiber connections must be completed, making advanced 5G and fiber optic test solutions essential to 5G deployment.

5G speed could compete with wired broadband, but there are many reasons that 5G won’t replace fiber and copper cable anytime soon. Most 5G marketing and press coverage tends to omit the biggest reason why 5G isn’t likely to be a perfect replacement for fixed-line broadband mainly because of the cost.

If 5G really could stand in for broadband, it would be filling a serious gap in  global internet access – mainly because  poor country infrastructure. Policy-makers may consider adopting policies/financial incentives to encourage migration from copper to fibre and stimulate deployment of fiber; removing any tax burdens associated with deploying fibre networks to reduce the associated costs.

From another point of view the industry takes the view that initial deployment of 5G networks will be in dense urban areas and will offer services such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) – it will be commercially challenging to deploy 5G networks in rural areas where demand tends to be lower – consequently, rural areas may be left behind, thereby increasing the digital divide.

Where would it lead us in the future?

In two words – Digital Cities.

By 2050, the global urban population will increase by 75% to 6.3 billion (i.e. two thirds of the world population). The challenge of developing and maintaining attractive, inclusive and safe urban environments needs to be met on multiple fronts. Stakeholders are local governments, city service providers, industry, and the citizens. Mobility as a service integrates public, private, peer-to-peer, conventional, clean, or autonomous transportation means.

It will benefit from the increasing will of citizens to participate in the sharing economy.

Besides their traditional role, cities are increasingly organizing and exposing data, especially in real time. City data along with analytics and machine learning improves engagement and inclusiveness of the citizens and of the visitors. Augmented and virtual reality of cities is another facet of exposing or simulating city data from the past, present or future.