Do you need to know the tech behind 5G?

5G can be about more than speed, more than accelerating what you do now via LTE. It can be an opportunity to rethink your strategy, culture, and infrastructure in a way that optimizes the most impactful technologies for your business and your bottom line.

 According to Jason Leigh, Senior Analyst at IDC, “5G is the gateway to an entirely new world for businesses, but it needs multiple technologies coming together to achieve its true potential.”

1. New spectrum options
Spectrum options above 3GHz are being added to 5G, including licensed and unlicensed spectrum. The initial 5G licensed spectrum implementations for AT&T are millimeter wave. The use of millimeter spectrum is one of the key technologies in delivering speeds in the gigabit range. Gigabit speeds are directly aligned with the enhanced mobile broadband capability in the IMT 2020 Usage Model.

 2. 5G support for massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO)
Multiple antennae are supported at the end device and at the radio tower to increase speed and capacity. This contributes to the efficiency of the spectrum and massive device connectivity.

 3. Distributed flexible architecture
This includes Macro Cell, Micro Cell, Pico and Femto Cell, as well as distributed antenna systems (DAS). One way to solve the high data rate requirement is to deploy many more small cells, resulting in greater radio network densification, improved network coverage, higher spectral efficiency, and reduced device power consumption because of nearby picocells.

4. Multi-connectivity
This is the simultaneous use of both 5G and LTE. This contributes to the coexistence between LTE and 5G and provides backward compatibility, which means that 5G devices will also work with an available LTE network if the device is out of the 5G coverage area. 

5. Flexible frame design
This allows the multiplexing of users on a shared channel with dynamic adjustment in accordance with the device service requirements per link. In other words, low-bandwidth Internet of Things (IoT) devices can be mixed with high-bandwidth 4K video cameras without sacrificing efficiency. 

“Will 5G replace Wi-Fi?”
This question has resurfaced with the emergence of 5G and Wi-Fi 6. Many industry experts believe that Wi-Fi will coexist with and can even be a key part of many 5G use cases. Learn more, including the potential for convergence into a single radio network backbone for campus, office, and business venues by downloading the eBook.