FEATURE: THE COMING OF 5G
T
he rise of smart devices
is largely what is driving
wireless operators’ rapid
implementation of 4G LTE networks
in many regions. Data demand will
continue to underline 5G requirements
as well, but now a variety of smart
“things” will join the networks. In the
”Internet of Things” (IoT) concept,
a multitude of sensors, meters and
other machines will connect wirelessly
to the Internet to create more value
and efficiency across a host of
applications. These M2M connections
will add to the data load put onto
wireless networks, and will further push
the need for more capacity.
Dealing with the demand for data
has been key to mobile operators’
strategies over the last number of
years. They have worked not only to
provide data-hungry subscribers with the
bandwidth they need, but also to guard
the profit margins demanded by their
shareholders. 5G is increasingly being
talked about in much the same way that
4G was in the second part of the 2000’s.
As such, the race is already on to define
this next generation standard, and to
assure that it is profitable for MNOs.
With the growth rate of smart phone
adoption slowing, operators view
5G, and its support of numerous
IoT uses cases, as an opportunity to
create services for an entire new set
of customers. In the future, additional
revenue growth will come from
servicing other industry verticals such as
automotive, health care, and logistics
with innovative technologies and new
business models.
Across the globe, engineers and
scientists are working on new radio
and core network architectures and
technologies that are being evaluated
as the basis for the upcoming 5G
standard. Even more so than 4G,
5G technology will be a series of
standard releases with an evolving and
improving set of technologies leading
to performance gains.
However, it is the ITU that will formally
determine what the official next
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INTELLIGENTCIO
generation standard will be in terms of
performance. The 3GPP and ITU are
aligned in this process and has targeted
that the 5G release in 2020 will meet
these ITU requirements.
Like all the ‘Gs’ that have preceded
it, the first and most essential step
to defining and ultimately rolling
out 5G will be ensuring that it can
accommodate mobile broadband
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