The disruptive 5G Networks is already here and we have witnessed astounding connectivity to lean on. In the US, telecom providers like Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile have already introduced 5G networks and the kind of speed and spectral efficiency it has generated has made clear signs to a faster-connecting future.
All of you must have read articles on uses of 5G to shape our future digital devices. Its use to enhance Artificial Intelligence and IoT(Internet of Things) based devices and technologies. This is a different take on 5G, as we are going to explore the real technical aspects and key technologies that 5G networks will focus on to enhance your network experience and boost the IoT technologies.
5G in the Network Realm:
From its predecessor, 5G takes on the deficiencies and challenges of 4G networks and overcomes many of them. Both the 4G and 5G networks are based on OFDM technology- Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing. It is a technique to transmit various data through radio waves by splitting the waves into smaller radiowaves and send it to the receiver. 5G is a heterogeneous network that can integrate and capacitate several systems.
5G uses all low-, mid- and high-band spectrum for connectivity. 4G networks used sub-6Hz networks and 5G will also use the same but more advanced deterrent. 5G providers will also have an advantage of Millimeter- Wave frequency(20-60Hz), which was not used earlier in 4G networks. The drawback to millimeter-wave frequency is that it can’t travel long distances and hence needs a nodal technique to operate.
3GPP is an international collaboration of multiple telecommunications which standardizes the network standards. By the end of 2018, rolling out of minimal 5G standards will continue until release 15 which will mark the complete roll-out of 5G networks. Though it will take more time than you and I think of 5G network penetration, as there are many infrastructure challenges to overcome. One important development will be the enhancement of 4G networks due to infrastructure development for 5G.
Today, for automated machines and IoT based technologies there is a need for secure and real-time data needs with higher bandwidth capabilities and 5G will ensure higher bandwidths to power IoT technologies with peak rates up to 10GB/sec. 5G networks will be powered by advanced technology and better spectral efficiency. It is observed that the expansion of networking devices will be more than 4G networks and 5G networks have 10 times higher frequency than 4G.
Key technologies for 5G enhancements and future innovations:
WTT(Wireless Transmission Technology):
Wireless Transmission Technology is an important paradigm for IoT based devices and autonomous technologies. WTT based on large scale MIMO technology will be in focus for future 5G innovations. MIMO stands for multi-input multi-output and it is a technology used widely in wireless data transmission for better spectral efficiency, specifically large scale MIMO/ massive MIMO.
in the case of MIMO, multiple data signals are transmitted through the same radio channel by wireless network. Massive MIMO is just a bigger form of MIMO, where standard MIMO has two to three antennas to deal with, massive MIMO stands for huge network of antennas like out mobile networks. Innovations of 5G based on massive MIMO will incorporate communication of several users simultaneously without increasing density on the base stations. Thus, providing higher speeds by lower loads on base stations transmitting data signals.
This technology can be optimized by focussing the beam of data signals in a narrow area to avoid interference and increase networking power. MIMO technologies are based on TDD (Time-division duplex) systems and we already saw 4G networks working efficiently on TDD systems.
Multi-Carrier technology:
This technology is important to improve spectral efficiency and counter the fading phenomenon. Fading is a phenomenon of gradual extinction of data signals with various variables like time, geographical position, and radiofrequency. With multi-carrier technologies, such a fading phenomenon can be avoided.
Innovations in these technologies will reduce orthogonal transmission by sub-carriers, increasing their flexibility. A simple approach is to use a filter bank, where the sub-carriers are filtered to provide a more spectrally efficient form of the waveform.
In other terms, it will allow sub-carriers that are efficient enough to send strong data signals.
WNT(Wireless Network Technologies):
Content Distribution Network:
Content distribution has been the core of most of the advanced technologies around the world. Today, we see enterprises and businesses hire iOS developers and Android developers to design lightweight, agile and highly responsive web-apps that can deliver high-grade content. Content distribution networks will help such websites by providing high response time through the coagulation of networks.
Due to this coagulation, cache servers are used to distribute the content in a concentrated area. A new approach for this technology is to redirect the user information to the nearest service point, from where users can select a content nearby.
Higher Dense Heterogeneous Network:
This is basically a nodal technology for data networks. Network nodes in this approach is closer to the terminal, due to high network density. This nodal approach improves spectral efficiency and increases the power of networks. The only drawback to this approach is close proximity of nodes, which can create coagulation of signals rendering interferences and heavy loads on concurrent nodes.
Self- Organized Technology:
As the 5G networks hit the global networking market, it is also necessary for devices to adapt to the changes in the compatibility and we have already seen innovations from digital companies to incorporate 5G technologies in their designs. It is vital for networks to adapt to the dynamics of time and business. To guarantee a smooth network access, a double connection approach should be realized.
With newly developed configuration and 5G enabled devices, the self-organization of the networks is imminent and fruitfull to optimize the networks.
5G Networks Structure for IoT:
5G network is based on three principal connectivity; eMBB(extended Mobile Broadband),mMTC(massive Machine-Type Communication), URLLC(Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication). eMBB is widely responsible for enhancements of broadband access, ultra-high quality video streaming, Augmented reality and visual reality.
While mMTC and URLLC are basically machine type traffic communications that enable IoT devices with more powerful connectivity and data transmission. Hence, we can say that the structure of 5G is almost IoT ready.
Closing the connection:
Before closing the connection with you, here is a statistic from Statista to provide some insight on 5G future scope, The statistic shows that 5G subscriptions worldwide will rise to around 18 million in North America alone in 2020. There will be high utilization frequencies for 5G networks and we are bound to see more enterprise usage with a $2.3 billion 5G enterprise market forecast by Markets, which will grow up to $31.7 billion by 2026. The market will have a compound annual growth rate of 54.4%.
Apart from the fact that it has large market potential and IoT impact on a global scale, 5G will change the education and health sectors forever with higher connectivity and uninterrupted data streams.
