PBS AUG1

BUSINESS SUPPLEMENT
5G IS COMING,
BUT WHAT IS IT?
Superfast “fifth generation 5G” mobile
internet could be launched as early
as next year in some countries, promising
download speeds 10 to 20 times
faster that we have now. But what difference
will it really make? Will we need
new phones? And will it solve poor coverage
remote areas?
What is 5G exactly?
It’s the next - fifth- generation of mobile
internet connectivity promising
much faster data download and upload
speeds, wider coverage and more stable
connections. It’s all about making
better use of the radio spectrum and
enabling far more devices to access the
mobile internet at the same time.
What will it enable us to do?
Whatever we do now with our smartphones
will be faster and better/ Consider
smart glasses featuring augmented
reality, mobile virtual reality, much
higher quality video, the internet of
things making cities smarter. But what’s
really exciting is all the new services
that will be built that we can’t yet predict.
Imagine swarms of drones co-operating
to carry out search and rescue
missions, fire assessments and traffic
monitoring, all communicating wirelessly
with each other and ground base stations
over 5G networks. Similarly, many
think 5G will be crucial for autonomous
vehicles to communicate with each other
and read live map and traffic data.
More prosaically, mobile gamers
should notice less delay - or latency -
when pressing a button on a controller
and seeing the effect on screen. Mobile
videos should be near instantaneous
and glitch-free. Video calls should become
clearer and less jerky. Wearable
fitness devices could monitor your
health in real time, alerting doctors as
soon as any emergency arises.
How does it work?
There are a number of new technologies
likely to be applied - but standards
haven’t been hammered out yet for all
5G protocols. Higher-frequency bands
- 3.5GHz (gigaherz) to 26GHz and beyond
- have a lot of capacity but their
lower wavelengths mean their range is
lower - they’re more easily blocked by
physical objects.
Is it very different to 4G?
Yes, it’s a brand new radio technology,
but you might not notice vastly higher
speeds at first because 5G is likely to
be used by network operators initially
as a way to boost capacity on existing
4G (LTE - Long-Term Evolution) networks,
to ensure a more consistent service
for customers. The speed you get
will depend on which spectrum band
the operator runs the 5G technology on
and how much your carrier has invested
in new masts and transmitters.
“Bits n
Bytes”
So how fast could it be?
The fastest current 4G mobile networks
offer about 45Mbps (megabits per second)
on average, although the industry
is still hopeful of achieving 1Gbps
(gigabit per second = 1,000Mbps).
Chipmaker Qualcomm reckons 5G
could achieve browsing and download
speeds about 10 to 20 times faster in
real-world (as opposed to laboratory)
conditions.
This is for 5G networks built alongside
existing 4G LTE networks. Standalone
5G networks, on the other hand,
operating within very high frequencies
(30GHz say) could easily achieve gigbabit-plus
browsing speeds as standard.
But these aren’t likely to come in
until a few years later.
Why do we need it?
The world is going mobile and we’re
consuming more data every year, particularly
as the popularity of video and
music streaming increases. Existing
spectrum bands are becoming congested,
leading to breakdowns in service,
particularly when lots of people in the
same area are trying to access online
mobile services at the same time. 5G
is much better at handling thousands of
STEVE DICKENS
devices simultaneously, from mobiles
to equipment sensors, video cameras
to smart street lights.
When is it coming?
Most countries are unlikely to launch
5G services before 2020, but South
Korea is aiming to get in there first and
launch next year, with its three largest
network operators agreeing to kick off
at the same time. China is also racing
to launch services in 2019.
Will I need a new phone?
The short answer is, yes, afraid so.
Will it work in rural areas?
Lack of signal and low data speeds in
rural areas is a common complaint in
many countries. But 5G won’t necessarily
address this issue as it will operate
on high-frequency bands - to start
with at least - that have a lot of capacity
but cover shorter distances. 5G will primarily
be an urban service for densely
populated areas.
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