Getting ready for 5G

The industry’s response to the hyper-connected society we are moving towards will transform the way we — and the things around us — communicate.

By 2023, Ericsson predicts that each active smartphone in North America will consume 48 gigabytes of data per month. That’s roughly a seven-fold increase compared to 2017. The trend is the same across global markets, driven by improvements in our smartphones, increasingly data-rich content, and better, more affordable data plans. At the same time as smart homes, cities, and industries are linking up to the cloud, it is opening the door to entirely new applications across verticals with demanding requirements on network capacity and capability. As a result of this unprecedented revolution, a new generation of cellular networks will be needed to transform existing 4G networks to cope with the rapidly increased data traffic demand.

The industry’s answer to the hyper-connected society we’re moving towards is 5G cellular communication technology. 5G addresses future demands and enables new services through three key features: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-low latency and high reliability (uRLLC), and massive machine communications (mMTC). It does so, in part, by expanding the spectrum dedicated to cellular communication to much higher frequencies capable of transporting data at faster speeds, and combining a series of sophisticated technologies to ensure that data is delivered reliably and securely across the network.

3GPP, the standardisation body responsible for defining global mobile network communication standards, is releasing 5G in a two-step process. Phase 1, scheduled for Q3 2018, will focus primarily on eMBB applications with high data rates, high mobility and low latency, and use cases include ultra-high-definition video and augmented and virtual reality. Phase 2, which will follow one year later, will focus on critical communications with high reliability and ultra-low latency, as well as on connecting millions of devices, especially in the industrial IoT.

From virtual reality to the Internet of Skills

It will take longer for 5G to impact you in your everyday life, but when it does, you’ll feel the difference. High data rates — up to several gigabytes per second — will transform the way you communicate, and just might let augmented and virtual reality live up to their much-hyped potential. You’ll be able to stream high-definition video on all your devices and leverage the computing power of the cloud in ways that are unimaginable today.

Ultra-low latency down to half a millisecond, 99.999% availability, and predictable quality of service will enable critical applications that improve safety and wellbeing. Vehicle-to-pedestrian communication, to name one, will alert drivers when pedestrians cross roads. Another is remote surgery, with which surgeons will be able to operate via a robotic arm on patients that are on the other side of the planet. It’s just one fascinating illustration of the Internet of Skills that highly secure and resilient communication over 5G networks will enable.

Just imagine the density of connected devices that mobile communication networks will have to reckon with. Our homes, cities, and industries will all be connected. And so will we, with our wearables and other devices that will serve us and connect us to social networks, day in, day out. Combined, they will lead to an explosion in the number of connected devices per square kilometer and heightened demands on power efficiency and network coverage that 5G networks are fully geared to handle.

Innovation driving technology driving innovation

Industry stakeholders are working together in the 3GPP to define 5G technology specifications, to ensure that the 5G standards meet the needs for emerging use cases and services while leaving ample room for innovation.

5G made its global debut during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, where it was used tobroadcast live immersive HD images of the sporting events in virtual reality. It’s no coincidence that China, Korea, and Japan are leading the transition to 5G, along with the United Kingdom and the United States. But even after the 3GPP releases the 5G standards, it will take a couple of years for networks to roll out worldwide. The wait will test our patience, but on the bright side, it will give everyone involved time to getting fully prepared for 5G.

Read more on connected people in u-magazine