The promise of 5G is to expand the possibilities of what mobile networks can do, and to extend upon what services they can deliver. 5G is presently in its advanced research and early implementation stage. The advent of 5G wireless communications technologies as well as Information and Communications Technology (ICT) networks signify the coming next wave of a globally connected Digital Society. ICT includes any communication device or application, encompassing radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications. 5G aims at higher capacity than current 4G, allowing a higher density of mobile broadband users, and supporting device-to-device, ultra reliable, and massive machine communications. 5G research and development also aims at lower latency than 4G equipment and lower battery consumption, for better implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Vision of a New Technology

Right now, all over the world, mobile access to the internet is becoming wholly fundamental to doing business in all industries. Flexible working practices facilitated by mobile networks and devices are already essential, and are allowing enterprises to conduct operations across boundaries that previously inhibited growth. The continuing rise in the relevance of social media as an important part of how we interact with the internet is also opening up new kinds of intelligent analytics ready to be harnessed for tangible business and everyday life benefits. 5G wireless communication networks will support 1,000-fold gains in terms of system capacity, connections for at least 100 billion devices, and a 10 Gbps individual user experience with extremely low latency and response times.

Deployment of these networks are envisaged to emerge between the years 2020 and 2030. 5G radio access will be built upon both new radio access technologies (RAT) and evolved existing wireless technologies (GSM, HSPA, WiFi and LTE). Breakthroughs in wireless network innovations will also drive economic and societal growth in entirely new ways. 5G will realize networks capable of providing zero-distance connectivity between people and connected machines. The development of 5G technologies is a cornerstone for realizing breakthroughs in the transformation of ICT network infrastructure. Ultra-broadband and intelligent-pipe network features that achieve near-instantaneous, “zero distance” connectivity between people and connected machines – no matter where they are – are just the first step. Transformation and convergence of ICT network infrastructure is driving business innovation and growth. Not only is ICT an increasingly effective tool for enhancing efficiency, but it is now a vital driver of economic and societal growth.

A Changing Telecoms Landscape

While previous generations of wireless networks were characterized by fixed radio parameters and spectrum blocks, 5G will allow utilization of any spectrum and any access technology for the best delivery of services. The current generation of mobile networks continues to transform the way people communicate and access information. Further developing and implementing technologies that enable true human-centric and connected machine-centric networks will come to redefine end user mobility along with the entire landscape of the global telecoms industry.

For next generation in wireless communication systems being deployed in the world, 5G/6G mobile and wireless communication technologies are being widely studied. The key demands now are user-centric mobile applications instead of traditional carrier-centric, high mobile data traffic volume, large number of connected devices, long network lifetime, improved the quality of services, etc. A lot promising wireless technologies focus on new spectrum with millimetre wave, wider bandwidths, new modulation techniques, enhanced small cell, and massive MIMO, and so on.

Growing mobile access to the internet, cloud-based services and Big Data analytics is allowing anyone, anywhere to leverage “Big Wisdom” – a whole new kind of globally connected and shared knowledge base. Over time, any mobile app and any mobile service will be given the potential to connect to anything at anytime – from people and communities to physical things, processes, content, working knowledge, timely pertinent information and goods of all sorts in entirely flexible, reliable and secure ways.

Mobile networks will increasingly become the primary means of network access for person-to-person and person-to-machine connectivity. These networks will need to match advances in fixed networking in terms of delivered quality of service, reliability and security. To do so, 5G technologies will need to be capable of delivering fiber-like 10 Gbps speeds to make possible ultra-high definition visual communications and immersive multimedia interactions. These technologies will depend on ultra-wide bandwidth with sub-millisecond latencies.

Technological Breakthroughs?

The development of 5G will require several breakthroughs such as multiple access and advanced waveform technologies combined with advances in coding and modulation algorithms - essential for realizing continuing improvements in spectral efficiency. This will accommodate the necessary scalability for massive IoT connectivity and drastic reductions in access latency. New breakthroughs in the baseband and RF architecture are required to enable computationally intensive and adaptive new air interfaces. A significantly more advanced baseband computation is required to meet the complex requirements of new solutions like mass-scale MIMO. A singular, integrated design for combining an unprecedented number of RF radio and antenna elements into one unit (a “Radiotenna”) will be needed to support these new air interfaces. Software-defined air interface technologies will be seamlessly integrated into 5G wireless access network architectures. New breakthroughs in radio technologies for mobile devices are required to support a vast range of capabilities, from ultra-low energy sensors to ultra-fast devices with long-lasting battery life. Further extending the capability of mobile devices is also of great importance to allow device-based, on-demand mobile networking for services like instant device-to-device communications.

5G Services and Scenario – HyperService Cube

New designs for all-spectrum radio access nodes will require breakthroughs in fundamental radio technologies like the air interface, RAN, radio frequency transceiver and devices. New radio backhaul and new fiber access for the fixed network will be an integral part of next generation commercial network solutions. Core network evolution will revolve around how to enable more flexibility for the creation of new services and new applications. Cloud computing will become the foundation of core networks, and will open the network to allow the leveraging of innovations as they are developed. 5G core networks will also be equipped to seamlessly integrate with current 3G and 4G core networks.

5G will provide the foundational infrastructure for building smart cities, which will push mobile network performance and capability requirements to their extremes. Truly, the advent of 5G technologies and ICT networks signify the coming next wave of a globally connected Digital Society.

By: Prof. T. L. Singal, Deptt. of Electronics & Electrical Engg., Chitkara University Punjab

References:-

• https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-52171-8_2
• http://www.huawei.com/5gwhitepaper/
• https://www.scribd.com/document/251024709/5G-a-Technology-Vision