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5G wireless: A transformative, disruptive technology
Article in Industrial Management (Norcross, Georgia) · June 2019
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5G wireless:
A transformative,
disruptive technology
BY MOHSEN ATTARAN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Cellular wireless networks have come a long way
since the first generation was introduced in 1981.
Mobile connections have soared into the billions and
approximately every 10 years, a new mobile generation
comes along. Now new 5G technology enables consumers
to leverage the benefits of this wide range of spectrum for
faster and more reliable coverage. 5G networks facilitate
and push the rapid increase of the internet of things and
will bring great benefits to corporations and consumers.
16 Industrial Management
EVOLUTION OF MOBILE
COMMUNICATIONS
Figure 1. The advance of early 1G wireless networks to the current move toward 5G (fifth generation)
technology.
5G
4G 2019
3G 2009 10 Gbps
1G 2G 2003 100 Mbps
1993 2 Mbps . Ultra- low
1980s
64 Kbps . Designed for latency
2.4 Kbps data . Ultra-fast data
. Designed for speed
voice and data . IP-based
. Designed for protocols
. Basic voice voice . First mobile
broadband True mobile-
service . Digital-based broadband
. Analog-based standards
protocols
The demand for wireless networks is ever Additionally, 5G systems provide
growing and evolving. Cellular wireless enhanced mobile broadband, dynamic
networks have come a long way since low latency, wider bandwidths,
the first 1G system, with a new mobile device-centric mobility, simultaneous
generation appearing approximately redundant and reliable device-to-device
every 10 years. links and shared spectrum.
The first generation wireless networks, Since the first 1G cellular wireless
1G, were based on analog protocols. networks were introduced in 1981,
The first phones, based on analog mobile connections have soared into
technology, were very large and with the billions. About every 10 years, a
the speed of only 2.4 Kbps. The second new mobile generation comes along
generation, 2G, introduced in the early (see Figure 1). According to Ericsson
1990s were based on digital standards. Mobility Report, 5G will achieve 1.5
It was designed for voice and to improve billion subscribers by 2024, covering
coverage and capacity. The third-gener- 40% of the world’s population.
ation 3G networks were introduced Another 2017 study conducted by IHS
to provide high-speed data transfer Markit found that potential global
capability for downloading information sales enablement of 5G will be $12.3
from the internet and for sending 5G systems trillion in 2035. 5G enables consumers
videos. 3G systems were the first mobile are promised to leverage the benefits of this wide
broadband and provided a significant to be in the range of spectrum for faster and more
improvement in capability over 2G. market by the reliable coverage and greatly increases
4G systems were based on IP end of 2019 the amount of spectrum available by
protocols and were designed primarily and there combining the pros and cons of all
for data. The fourth generation 4G are design different frequencies. It also allows for
systems were able to provide a signif- innovations more bandwidth and much faster speed
icant improvement in data capability and across diverse for consumers.
speed over the 3G systems. services. The existing 4G wireless networks do
The fifth generation 5G network, the not have enough spectrum bandwidth
successor of 4G long-term evolution and network capacity to meet growing
(LTE), builds on the continuous wireless market demands. According to a Cisco
innovation. 5G systems are promised study, by 2022 wireless networks will
to be in the market by the end of 2019 increase in usage by a compounded
and there are design innovations across annual growth rate of 46%. Speeds will
diverse services. The key enhance- reach peaks of 10 gigabits per second
ments are landline placement and more and deliver 1 Gbp at 500 km per hour.
advanced antenna technology. The 3rd Generation Partnership
may/june 2019 17
NETWORK SPECTRUM BANDS
Figure 2-
Figure 2. The various technologies for expanding the networking spectrum bands seen split into layers.
Source: Robert Triggs, [Link]
on the other hand, will be transmitted
FEATURES OF 5G NETWORKS
Source: Robert Triggs, Online: [Link]
via large numbers of multiple small
Figure 3. The benefits offered by a new generation of connectivity. cell stations located on sites like light
poles or building roofs. The use of large
number of small cells is necessary since
5G relies on a millimeter wave spectrum
between 30 GHz and 300 GHz that can
only travel over short distances and is
subject to interference from weather and
These physical obstacles.
technologies The various technologies for
allow expanding the networking spectrum
for more bands can be thought of in three layers
bandwidth and are shown in Figure 2. 5G is using
and much some key new technological innova-
faster speeds tions to greatly increase the amount of
for consumers. spectrum used to send and receive data
compared to today’s 4G LTE networks.
These technologies allow for more
bandwidth and much faster speeds for
consumers. 5G development provides
improved support of machine-to-
machine communication, aiming at
lower price, lower battery consumption
and lower latency than 4G instrumen-
Project (3GPP) and International mmWave. Carriers will also be using new tation. 5G communication networks
Telecommunications Union (ITU) spectrum in the sub-6GHz Wi-Fi region, can also provide hundreds of billions of
planned for and laid the foundations low bands below 1GHz and existing 4G connections, massive machine commu-
for early 5G technology and rollouts. LTE bands. There currently is a signif- nication and extreme mobile broadband.
5G is an evolving standard with major icant amount of unused high-frequency The features of 5G are shown in Figure 3.
changes to data encoding and infra- spectrum, and the higher the frequency,
structure. the more bandwidth is available. Economic contributions
5G networks combine more Wireless networks are composed of 5G networks
spectrums, allowing for more bandwidth of cell sites divided into sectors that A new study by Accenture revealed that
and much faster speeds for consumers. send data through radio waves. Fourth- the U.S. wireless industry is prepared to
The technology enables consumers to generation long-term evolution (LTE) invest $275 billion to build next-gener-
connect to and leverage the benefits of wireless technology requires large, high- ation wireless networks over the next
a wide range of spectrums. The most powered cell towers to radiate signals 10 years. The economic impact of this
commonly used 5G technology is over long distances. 5G wireless signals, investment is huge; it will create more
18 Industrial Management
than 3 million jobs and will add $500 every person on Earth. IoT technology TECHNOLOGIES
SUPPORTED
million to the economy. is maturing and continues to see
5G networks enable service providers tremendous innovation. There are
to build virtual networks tailored to
applications requirements such as:
several reasons for the tremendous
growth of the concept: The increased BY 5G NETWORKS
availability of broadband internet, the Figure 4. A look at the new applications, uses and business
cases offered by 5G technology.
• Mobile broadband: communication, decreasing cost of connecting to the
media and entertainment, and the Internet and the decreasing cost of
Internet bandwidth; over the past 10 years, the
• Machine-to-machine: retail, shop- cost of bandwidth has declined by a IOT
ping, manufacturing factor of nearly 40 times.
• Reliable low latency: automobile, 5G plays an important role in
medical, smart cities continued success and widespread
• Others: industry specific services, applications of IoT and nearly every Mobile 5G
Big Data
energy, etc. aspect of life where technology has Technology Networks
entered the domestic space such
5G networks will focus communi- as smart TVs, security cameras,
cation networks onto “things.” It will dishwashers, thermostats and kitchen Cloud
integrate mobile tech, big data, internet appliances. The fast speeds provided Computing
of things and cloud computing, and is by 5G will bring new technological
expected to generate a variety of new advancements. The next generation of
applications, uses and business cases 5G will handle hundreds of billions of Enhanced Mobile Broadband
as the technology is rolled out (see connections and will provide ultra-low (eMBB). Today, more than 77% of
Figure 4). 5G will support smart devices, latency of 1 millisecond and 10 Gbps Americans own a smartphone with
including self-driving cars, wearable, transmission speeds. It also has the access to the world’s information
telemedicine and internet of things potential to provide more reliable service and near-limitless data resources.
(IoT). Autonomous cars and IoT devices in rural areas, reducing the differences in 5G technology is expected to greatly
are expected to be major revenue drivers service between rural and urban areas. increase networks’ capacity and data
for 5G networks. Another area where 5G networking speeds enabling network providers to
The IoT is the concept of connecting can be very helpful is “big data.” Data is meet growing demand for data-intensive
any device with an on-off switch to flooding in at a rate never seen before, services, like streaming digital video and
the internet and/or to each other. The doubling every 18 months. The Interna- other streaming media services, in urban
term refers to devices that collect and tional Data Corp. report predicted that areas.
transmit data via the internet. This there could be an increase of digital data 5G has the In the past few years, technologies
includes everything from cellphones, by 40 times from 2012 to 2020. Public potential to like augmented reality (AR) and virtual
wearable devices and industrial customer data, proprietary, purchased keep up with reality (VR) were introduced that will
equipment such as car engines, jet sources and new data gathered from IoT consumer and shape the next stages in IoT devel-
engines, the drill of an oil rig, washing enabled devices are generating what is enterprise opment and are driving demand for
machines, coffee makers and more. The broadly known as “big data.” The amount data demands. more coverage and capacity at reduced
concept is based on a general rule that of data IoT devices might report back to cost. AR enables IoT data in the form
anything that can be connected will be a cloud server could easily overwhelm a of text, graphs, images and videos to be
connected; IoT could be considered as relational database. Companies offering viewed using smartphones, tablets or
a giant network of connected people IoT-enabled devices need to be prepared smart glasses. Today most AR applica-
or “things.” The connection is between to store, track, analyze and make sense tions serve consumer markets. In the
things to things, people to things or of the vast amounts of data that will be near future, the technology will be used
people to people. Mobile broadband, generated. in enterprise markets when AR technol-
cloud computing and smart terminals The real value that IoT creates is at ogies are paired with IoT and other
enable widespread connectivity, trans- the intersection of gathering data and application data.
forming the way we perceive the world leveraging it. 5G has the potential to These technologies require high data
around us. keep up with consumer and enterprise rates across a wide coverage area. They
According to a Cisco estimate, data demands, while lowering carriers’ are expected to consume even more
devices connected to the Internet operating expenses. bandwidth and sustained high capacity
will be over 50 billion by 2020; that Figure 5 depicts 5G’s economic contri- connections than today’s applica-
is up to seven connected things for butions, which include: tions. They will soon dominate social
may/june 2019 19
5G ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS
Figure 5. The sectors likely to be most enhanced by next-generation wireless technology.
eMBB Smart Cars Smart Grids Smart Factory Mobile Health
Enables anytime, Makes intelligent Improves power Transforms Helps to streamline
anywhere, free driving safer and grid security, production, sales, medical diagnosis
roaming more efficient stability, and & business models and improves
immersive operating in ways that will allocation of
services efficiency benefit manufact. medical resources
and consumers
5G Networks Technology
media, replacing text and image as the Automakers are racing to improve the of the electric grid from transformers to
main information exchange media. technology that will power self-driving power lines to home electric meters have
Today’s existing wireless networks do cars. sensors capable of two-way communi-
not have enough spectrum bandwidth Smart cars consume a lot of cation. Using the smart grid, the electric
and network capacity to meet growing bandwidth, require quicker responses company can manage distribution more
consumer demands. from the network, and demand efficiently, be proactive about mainte-
5G’s high bandwidth and low latency continuous connectivity to the network. nance and respond to outages faster.
is essential for precise image processing, 5G supports higher bandwidth and Smart grids integrate traditional
tracking and transmission in real time in lower latencies, which enables smart cars power systems with information,
the high-traffic areas. 5G networks will to function efficiently. 5G technology communication and control technology
provide a fantastic mobile experience for improves mobile wireless networks’ to improve power grids’ stability,
consumers and enable them to access capacity and data speeds, allowing security and operating efficiency. Power
free-roaming immersive services on network providers to offer much more 5G supports generation facilities are digitizing form,
mobile devices. robust internet connections to devices. higher scale, power management and control
Automotive industry and smart 5G will play an important role in bandwidth to increase systems and operating
cars. According to a 2017 study by IH the proliferation of self-driving cars, and lower efficiency. The communications systems
Markit, 5G networks will enable more which will produce enormous amounts latencies, for smart grids covers all nodes on the
than $2.4 trillion in total economic of data. This technology makes intel- which enables power system, including power gener-
output in the automotive sector, ligent driving safer and more efficient. smart cars ation, transformation, transmission,
including its supply chain and its As such, 5G networks will help enable to function distribution and usage.
customers. 5G economic impacts in this autonomous urban ride services and efficiently. The new digitized power generation
sector represent about 20% of the total most self-driving cars. facility attempts to improve the
global 5G economic impact. Additionally, 5G networks are capable efficiency of power systems by building
5G networks enable the digital of offering a wide variety of services to a high capacity, high-speed, real-time,
transformation of the automotive automakers, including media streaming secure and stable communications
industry. According to the World services for passengers, navigation, networks. 5G greatly increases the
Economic Forum, that transformation traffic information, e-tolling, hazard and amount of spectrum used to send and
will generate $67 billion in value for collision warnings, weather updates and receive data. It can act as an integrator
that sector. Additionally, the digital cybersecurity services to monitor vehicles and support the diverse requirements of
transformation will generate $3.1 for intrusions. smart grids.
trillion in societal benefits that includes Smart grids. The smart grid is one 5G is more efficient and faster than
autonomous vehicle improvement and example of the widespread application of fiber optic and short-range wireless
the transportation enterprise ecosystem. IoT. In this application, each component communications technology, supports
20 Industrial Management
over-the-air wireless connectivity Data captured from sensor devices are IoT use will grow exponentially
and has excellent disaster recovery used to predict when equipment is over the next few years as more devices
capabilities. Other advantages like ultra- wearing down or in need of repair. This become connected, opening new oppor-
high bandwidth, wide-area seamless could reduce maintenance costs by 40% tunities for innovation with smart
coverage and roaming make 5G an ideal and cut unplanned downtime by 50%. products. 5G networks facilitate and
technology for smart and digital grids. The manufacturing sector can find push the rapid increase of IoT and will
In addition, 5G is a critical element different ways to drive value out of 5G bring great benefits to corporations
in providing better networking in our networking technology. 5G networks, and consumers. Digital transformation
technological world and important services and its connectivity capabil- is starting to shift user experience
technology to build connected smart ities have the potential to transform away from text, image and video into
cities. A smart city integrates infor- production, business models and sales immersive virtual reality (VR) and
mation and communication technology in ways that benefit manufacturing. augmented reality.
and 5G networking solutions in a secure Advanced 5G networks and information Fifth generation cellular technology’s
fashion to manage different functions, processing technology can streamline high speed, superior reliability, extreme
including schools, libraries, trans- smart factories, improve internal and bandwidth capacity and low latency
portation systems, hospitals, power external communications, and unify is a perfect fit for this new shift. 5G
plants, water supply networks, waste full product life cycle management on a networks and services will be deployed
management, law enforcement and single network. in stages over the next several years to
other community services. Mobile health. Today, there are accommodate the increasing reliance on
To identify and respond to urban 3.7 million medical devices connected mobile and internet-enabled devices.
trends, we need a way of aggregating to inform healthcare decisions. Allied We are just starting the 5G commu-
multiple layers of data, spanning traffic Market Research predicts that the IoT nications revolution with 2019 the
flows, human movement, individual healthcare market will reach $136.8 5G beginning of a new era for mobile
transactions, shifts in energy usage, billion worldwide by 2021. The applica- technology communications and the 5G world. The
security activity and almost any major tions of IoT in the healthcare industry enables technology delivers new and enhanced
component of contemporary economies. are limitless. The concept is referred to as patients to mobile experiences previously not
5G technology can facilitate this aggre- the internet of medical things or “IoMT.” use wearable possible.
gation. It is the collection of medical devices devices to 5G, built from a wide range of
The savings gained from smart cities equipped with Wi-Fi and applications transmit technologies, will continue to evolve as
is incredible. For example, smart water connected to healthcare IT systems symptoms and companies work toward its next phase,
technology can save $12 billion annually. through online computer networks. status. though it will take some time before
Sensors installed in individual vehicles As hospitals struggle to lower the networks are fully rolled out and
can be linked to broader systems that operating costs and remain competitive, utilized.
help to manage traffic congestion across IoMT has the potential to reduce As 5G networks connection become
the city. costs and improve a patient’s journey. more widely available, IoT-linked devices
Manufacturing sector and smart Telemedicine, the ability of a doctor and sophisticated smart cities give
factory. Manufacturers are using with a webcam to diagnose problems birth to trillion-sensor economies, low
product tracking mechanisms to ensure without an office visit, is becoming latencies will soon allow vehicles to talk
accuracy. Parts can be individually tagged popular. This is very useful when to each other and infrastructure systems
and tracked while on the production patients live in remote areas or when to self-correct.
line. Parts received from the production they need specialized care. Mobile In March at the Mobile World
plant can be tracked throughout health can improve efficiency and reduce Congress 2019, leading smartphone
assembly. Cameras installed along costs in the areas of disease prevention, companies planned to unveil the first
production lines measure the number counseling, treatment and rehabilitation. wave of 5G mobile devices. In 2020, we
of components in bins and an inventory 5G networks and services provide hope to see the new devices, created by
management system automatically mobile health platform advantages such entrepreneurs and companies converge
places supply orders to refill containers. as integrated mobility and advanced with freshly deployed 5G global
Additionally, manufacturers use connectivity so doctors and nurses can communication. v
sensors to improve the performance of monitor patients anywhere, anytime.
machines, to extend their lives and to 5G technology enables patients to use
learn how machines can be redesigned wearable devices to transmit symptoms
to be more efficient. Tags and sensors and status. Doctors can have access
containing equipment specifications can to patient information for remote
be attached to enable easy upgrading. monitoring and diagnosis.
may/june 2019 21
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