FEATURE: THE COMING OF 5G
THE KEY TO 5G IS THE
SUPPORT OF THE
INTERNET OF THINGS
(IOT). AN OPEN
QUESTION REGARDING
SUCH NETWORKS WILL
BE HOW MUCH CAPACITY
THESE CONNECTED
THINGS REQUIRE. IT
IS UNLIKELY THAT
CONNECTED PARKING
METERS WILL HOG AS
MUCH BANDWIDTH AS
A PERSON STREAMING
VIDEO WIRELESSLY, FOR
EXAMPLE
network equipment that will also
support existing 3G and 4G networks.
Managing multiple frequency bands in
shared site equipment is an art form in
itself. Advanced self-organising network
(SON) capabilities in addition to core
network architecture changes will be
needed. New access network techniques
such as Massive MIMO are required to
deliver a 5G experience. Sophisticated
RF beamforming and interference
mitigation technologies will need to be
developed to achieve the goals of 5G.
The key to 5G is the support of the
Internet of Things (IoT). An open
question regarding such networks will
be how much capacity these connected
things require. It is unlikely that
connected parking meters will hog as
much bandwidth as a person streaming
video wirelessly, for example.
However, if millions of sensor included
video capability then IoT bandwidth
could be significant and asymmetrical.
Current scenarios for IOT applications
are mostly connection-oriented, which
will not drive a lot of data, but some of
them will affect latency requirements.
For example, the collision avoidance
systems in connected automobiles
require one millisecond latency. Who
knows what other applications will
www.intelligentcio.com
JOSEPH HABIB
Head of Service Providers,
MEA, Commscope
come along to drive bandwidth needs
in addition to lower latency? The
5G networks is being architected to
support a diverse set of use cases
by implementing a configurable,
virtualised core that will be radio
technology agnostic.
Efficiency is a critical design
requirement for all aspects of 5G. It
must be taken into consideration during
all phases of the life cycle for 5G. From
a spectrally efficient design of the
air-interface, an implementation of a
virtualised, load balancing core, to small
cells that can be cost-effectively sited
and serviced with power and backhaul.
CommScope Joins 5Tonic Lab
5TONIC and IMDEA Networks Institute
recently announced that CommScope
has joined 5TONIC, the first laboratory
of 5G excellence in Spain. Founded
last autumn by experts from Telefónica
and the research institute IMDEA
Networks, 5TONIC exists as an open
ecosystem for innovation and research
based in Madrid, which also counts with
Intel and Ericsson Spain amongst its
members.
The 5TONIC laboratory consolidates its
role as an innovation hub in 5G networks
with the additional membership of one
of the world’s premier global network
infrastructure providers. CommScope
designs, builds and manages vital wired
and wireless network infrastructure for
companies around the world. This know-
how will enable CommScope to provide
a unique perspective on the network
technologies, designs and architectures
required to make 5G applications possible.
In summary, as with each of the
G’s before it, no one can say with
certainty what 5G will be until it is
defined and standardised by the ITU-
Telecommunication Standardisation
Sector. One thing is for certain and has
also been proven by cellular history –
when it is established as a standard
we will be ready to exploit whatever
it enables us to produce, deliver
and consume. We’re excited by the
possibilities of what this could entail.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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