Every stage of the communications revolution we have experienced over the past 50 years has benefited from the advancement of the Technology whether it is internet, cloud, networks or web. This also applies to the Technological revolution currently under way in for of 5G rollouts and 5G testing around the world.. The modern technological advancements like Internet of Things, consumerization or digitalization, and artificial intelligence(AI) all rely on fast, low-cost, and reliable networks.

Every day, more and more devices are actively communicating with each other, and simple upgrades to the current network are no longer sufficient to support the growing traffic and  sophistication.  4G networks has reached the technical limit of how much data can be transmitted especially due to consumption boost in internet based services like gaming, video, remote working etc.

This is where 5G comes into picture. 5G offers boost in possible solutions to address market needs and a range of new opportunities for telecom, gaming, network, software, SaaS, IT infrastructure companies but this transition to 5G will be expensive. Telecom operators who choose to build new small or large communication units will face sharp  increase in network costs for 5G rollouts or upgrades. Failure to move to 5G will result in cannibalisation of unsuccessful players in telecom.

Network sharing has become a standard part of the telecom operator’s operating model, and the huge expansion of the network infrastructure required to successfully launch 5G will accelerate this trend. There are already different ways to implement network sharing, and each method has its own impact on the business model of the operator.

What is 5G? 5G is the successor to 4G. 5G uses higher radio frequencies and provides higher speeds, lower latency, and finer coverage.

One advantage of using high-frequency radio waves is that more equipment can be used in the same area. Although 4G can support up to 4,000 devices per square kilometer, 5G can support up to 400,000 devices. This opens up a whole new world for the Internet of Things, where device density in some regions can be very high.

One disadvantage of using high-frequency radio waves is that they cannot travel as far as the low-frequency radio waves used by 4G. Therefore, 5G networks introduce a new technology called mMIMO (Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output), which uses a large number of antennas. In addition to supporting the required additional antennas, mMIMO also provides the ability to send and receive multiple data signals at once. This makes it possible to use target data streams to follow users and track them. Therefore, mMIMO can serve more users and devices at the same time in a smaller area, while maintaining fast data rates and consistent performance.

Unlike previous generations of mobile networks, 5G will not require a single operator to provide nationwide excess services through its own infrastructure. In fact, network sharing is ideal for 5G. As a result, telcos are pushing for network sharing and software-defined networking as “native” components of the solution. Although the transition from “private” network infrastructure to “shared” network infrastructure will require network operators to adopt a new way of working, this will also increase the speed of 5G deployment and reduce the cost of promotion , And eliminate visual pollution by reducing the number of outdoor antennas required.

5G will help various industries in improving their services and cater to customers and citizens’ needs in better way
1) Governments will be able to control and direct traffic and public transportation in a better way with better use of sensors and networks and interconnected devices in Intelligent Internet of things.

2) Automotive- With advent of autonomous and semi autonomous vehicles low latency computers in Automotive vehicles will be better able to communicate their current state and their sensors will be able to detect and process presence of nearby obstructions, traffic lights, vehicles etc in more better way for decisions.

3) Retail- One of the biggest issue facing retail and consumer goods companies since ages is realtime availability of information of inventory for replenishment specially during natural or unnatural disasters which are growing day by day. And first time in history of networks and analytics this feature is going to be available due to 5G. When we say countries like china are truly moving towards cashless society , reason behind that is Chinese consumers are able to do smallest transactions digitally. In retail cashless checkout is a norm in China. These services will be available in cheaper and more cost affective way due to 5g.

4) Manufacturing :- One thing any technology practitioner is going to tell you about manufacturing in coming decades is that factory floors , warehouses , supply chain are going to be completely transformed due to convergence of 5G, AI, IoT and Robotics. 5G will help manufacturers control and analyse industrial processes with unprecedented degree of precision and accuracy.

to sum up

After 20 years of continuous development and evolution, the network has become the core technology of our continuously connected world. The availability of standards-compliant, compatible networks has changed the way people expect to communicate with each other and the way information is shared today. And 5G enables the network to keep up with the future needs and expectations of consumers and the industry.

The investment required to deploy 5G is considerably high. To maximize the return on investment, a clear vision and a clear strategy are required. In addition, the key to success is cooperation between all stakeholders and the transition to network sharing. And these are what we must prepare immediately.

Further reading: 

  1.   https://spectrum.ieee.org/video/telecom/wireless/everything-you-need-to-know-about-5g 
  2.   https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/10/25/what-is-5g-technology-and-how-must-businesses-prepare-for-it/#2791bb251758
  3.   https://www.infosys.com/engineering-services/insights/Documents/Infosys-thought-leadership-5g.pdf 
  4.  https://www.stackpath.com/edge-academy/5g-enterprises/
  5.  https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/wireless-network/5g-use-cases-applications.html

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