The coming year will be a milestone in the mobile communications sector: from 2020, 5G will be established as the new standard not only in Germany, but also in many other countries. The second and third generation mobile technologies currently in use (2G and 3G) will gradually be replaced by fourth and/or fifth generation technologies (LTE and 5G). The aim is to use the frequencies more efficiently. The new 5G technology will completely revolutionize mobile communications.
Why 5G?
The direct successor to 4G (LTE) will serve as the basis for the digitalization of many areas of life and work. Above all, 5G technology will be able to transmit mobile data much faster than before: speeds that will be up to 10 times faster than the LTE speeds already described as fast. This will be made possible by greater spectral efficiency on the one hand and larger channel bandwidths available in the 3.5 GHz range, for example, on the other. However, it is not only the high data rates that are decisive. 5G also offers significantly lower response times (latency), which also makes real-time applications possible. The new mobile communications standard will make an important contribution to autonomous driving, for example, as this requires real-time transmission of data. In addition, 5G will make new applications in the field of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB for short) possible. Virtual and augmented reality, which have to rely on extremely high data rates and at the same time have strict latency requirements, will be supported by 5G. Another important advantage: 5G perfects machine-to-machine communication and optimizes the Internet of Things (IoT). A very large number of devices can be connected within a network without any problems. 5G also enables extremely low power consumption of the connected IoT devices, which extends their service life and reduces maintenance intervals.
How can the technology shift succeed?
The fact is that a real technology change can only take place when there are enough terminal devices in circulation that can use the new 5G technologies. For this reason, 5G technology will be gradually added to the existing mobile communications infrastructure. At the same time, the proportion of devices limited to 2G and 3G will decrease accordingly. Some providers have also begun to dismantle their 3G networks, as the frequencies used for 3G will be needed for the more efficient 5G technology in the future. Depending on requirements, the numerous network operators will make their own decisions about the upcoming technology change. As 5G will initially be based on LTE (Advanced Pro) technology as a so-called non-stand-alone standard (5G NSA), LTE and 5G will be operated together in the public mobile networks at the start of the widespread roll-out of 5G. 5G will serve as a capacity and speed enhancement in addition to LTE. This enables parallel operation of both technologies and allows network operators to make efficient use of the available frequency spectrum. The advantage of this premise is that the frequencies can be used in a technology-neutral manner and can therefore be used flexibly according to local requirements. The following figure provides a good overview of the available spectrum and the various frequency bands as well as their use with different mobile communications standards.
Figure 1 Infographic – 5G – successful expansion for the networked society; source Digital Summit Platform “Digital Networks and Mobility”. Based on this scenario, a gradual “soft” migration to the implementation of the 5G stand alone (5G SA) standard can then take place: a self-sufficient 5G network that can be operated independently of other mobile technologies. This will be accompanied by a further significant increase in speed and capacity as well as a reduction in latency. Due to these further improved properties, 5G is already primarily used as a self-sufficient network in industrial applications in order to meet the particularly high requirements that exist there. Dedicated fields of application in the area of machine communication or autonomous driving require 5G networks that are specially tailored to the field of application and optimized for latency, speed or reliability.
How is 5G progressing?
The “5G working group” of the “Digital Networks and Mobility” platform from the German government’s Digital Summit has been set up to drive forward the technology transition as quickly and efficiently as possible. This working group is made up of companies, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and representatives from associations and science. The aim is to strengthen Germany as a business location and secure a leading position in the global market for innovative services and business models based on 5G technology. The initial focus here is on a completely new networking of industry and society. Until now, it has always been about infrastructural broadband mobile communications coverage – now it is about much more. The aim is to create a network of almost everything, an “Internet of Things”. The new 5G mobile communications and network technology will above all be able to meet the many new requirements of the various branches of industry for a fully networked information society.
Where is 5G leading?
Current estimates assume that between 20 and 50 billion items will be set up in such a network worldwide by next year. In addition, there will be exponential growth in the volume of data transmitted via mobile devices. 5G will make gigabit data rates usable on the move, and an important basis for this is nationwide fiber optic networks to connect the transmitters and forward the large volumes of data. The resulting social and economic developments will have a massive impact on economic growth and future value creation. 5G marks the beginning of a new era, as the deployment and use of the new technologies will require a comprehensive rethink in the design and development of new business models. All of these changes will be partly evolutionary in nature and will revolutionize and transform entire markets, sectors and industries. Ultimately, this will significantly change our entire society.