One in 10 communications companies claim to have deployed 5G technology already, according to a recent survey (see: With 5G technology, the time is now).
Some parts of the 5G standard are close to being finalized, but nothing has been ratified yet.
Furthermore, many of the constituent technologies (e.g., mmWave RF, beamforming, MIMO, etc.) are either new or not commonly used. SDN and NFV are considered critical enablers of the heightened utility and expanded flexibility that will be hallmarks of 5G networks.
The industry has a learning curve to climb. The recent set of announcements can be considered an indicator that the industry is beginning to surge up that slope.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei promises to launch a 5G smartmobe in second half of 2019
From vapourware to reality
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/04/17/huawei_pledges_5g_phone_for_2019/
Huawei has said its first 5G-capable phone will appear in a little over a year. The Chinese giant made the pledge at its annual global analyst summit in Shenzhen, southeastern China.
The device will feature Huawei’s own 5G modem and appear in “the second half of 2019″.
Tomi Engdahl says:
China’s 5G expansion plans threatened as ZTE is pinched by US export ban, trade tensions
http://m.scmp.com/tech/social-gadgets/article/2142154/chinas-5g-expansion-plans-threatened-zte-export-ban-trade
ZTE, the world’s fourth largest telecommunications equipment supplier, sets up crisis team as company faces challenge to meet orders
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smartphone Manufacturers Confront 5G Challenges
http://www.mwrf.com/systems/smartphone-manufacturers-confront-5g-challenges?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20180417_MWRF-001_62&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=16728&utm_medium=email&elq2=ca7fda45ef5e4d66ae0b197805abfcf7
This white paper talks about the challenges associated with implementing 5G support in cellular handsets.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Toward A 5G, AI-Centric World
A look at the technology that will underpin the next big advances.
https://semiengineering.com/toward-a-5g-ai-centric-world/
5G is a Key Enabler of Data Generation. Higher communication speeds as well as lower latencies of access offered by 5G will be increasingly important in a world with a growing number of smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Each smart car for instance is expected to generate 4TB of data per day. With today’s communication infrastructure it is difficult to imagine even a fraction of such data being transmitted to the Cloud to support learning and analysis.
Major U.S.-centric carriers as well as international carriers announced or reiterated 5G trials and expansion plans at MWC. Here are a few key updates:
AT&T expects to provide 5G services in 12 cities by the end of CY18
Sprint is preparing six cities for 5G deployments by 2019
T-Mobile plans to build out 5G in 30 cities by the end of CY18
Verizon is planning to launch 5G in up to five cities by the end of CY18
China Mobile expects to start running 5G trials in five cities as early as 2Q18
Swisscom is preparing to introduce 5G services at selected sites by the end of 2018
Meanwhile, major international chipmakers including Qualcomm, Intel, HiSilicon and Mediatek reported progress on their 5G chipsets, and network equipment makers Nokia and Ericsson emphasized their readiness for 5G. While industry watchers are mixed in their enthusiasm for 5G, we expect to see meaningful deployments of 5G around the world by 2020, and 5G rollouts to accelerate from there with validation of new use cases.
5G is a Catalyst for Smart Network Infrastructure.
Progress in Mobile AI and AR/VR. Samsung launched its second-generation mobile assistant (Bixby) and its new AR emojis with its new Galaxy S9 smartphone. Arm showed demos of Project Trillium, which is a mobile AI platform for machine learning in Edge devices. Google announced general availability of ARCore 1.0, which allows developers to write AR apps for smartphones. And, Microsoft recently announced Windows Mixed Reality, which allows developers to mix physical and digital content. These developments point to increased adoption of AR/VR.
Tomi Engdahl says:
You, personally, are a nightmare for 5G
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460562/You–personally–are-a-nightmare-for-5G?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
Much of 5G technology remains a moving target in a rather literal sense. NTT Docomo in Japan recently published a paper describing how, with an assist from Keysight Technologies, it is characterizing what happens in various millimeter wave (mmWave) bands when receivers, transmitters, and different kinds of obstacles–including human bodies–are all in motion.
But when either the receiver or the transmitter is moving, or both are, and when things in the environment move, no one is absolutely certain what will happen to 5G signals. That is especially so at the higher frequencies that will be used for otherwise run-of-the-mill mobile telephony and broadband.
The inability to predict channel behavior is compounded by virtue of the fact that mmWave signals don’t penetrate objects, including vehicles, trees, or bodies. What happens with bodies is a key question; what happens when there are numerous bodies and they’re all in motion is an even bigger question.
Docomo recently investigated signal propagation at 67 GHz in urban canyons containing crowds of people. In the summary of its paper documenting the research, it notes that “the effects of shadowing and scattering of radio waves by human bodies (HBs) on propagation channels cannot be ignored.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
FCC removing regulatory barriers to 5G wireless deployment
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/04/fcc-removing-regulatory-barriers-to-5g-wireless-deployment.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-04-23&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2076803
The Federal Communications Commission recently adopted an order containing sweeping regulatory changes to speed the deployment of advanced wireless services to provide connectivity for innovative Internet of Things, augmented reality, unmanned vehicles, and artificial intelligence-driven devices, services, and systems. The order removes significant regulatory barriers to wireless infrastructure deployment and revises existing processes to expedite environmental and historic preservation review.
The order eliminates the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) for certain small wireless network facilities (larger, traditional wireless facilities are not exempted by the order). Advanced 5G wireless networks will rely on a high quantity of small antenna systems deployed in close proximity to each other rather than on traditional cell towers or monopoles separated by great distances.
FCC Reduces Regulatory Barriers to 5G Wireless Deployment
https://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=5caf0dd0-f2ae-479c-8302-4f5df0eed678
Larger wireless facilities remain subject to NEPA and NHPA requirements, but the order streamlines those requirements in three ways by:
1. imposing limits on the lengthy and uncertain process for tribal involvement in the Section 106 consultation process under NHPA;
2. setting a timeframe for FCC processing of environmental assessments under NEPA; and
3. allowing flexibility to use categorical exclusions rather than preparing the more time-consuming environmental assessments (EAs) for certain wireless facilities located in floodplains.
Exception of Small Wireless Facilities From NEPA/NHPA Review
In general, NEPA and NHPA require environmental and historic preservation reviews when a federal agency proposes to take an action to authorize or fund construction of a project. In the case of wireless facilities, there is no statutory requirement for providers to obtain a permit from the FCC before commencing construction.
When the FCC adopted the rules requiring NEPA and NHPA review for most wireless facility deployments, cellular networks primarily relied on conspicuous 100- to 200-foot cell towers. By contrast, the new 5G “small cell” systems can often be co-located with existing wireless facilities or placed on existing structures such as telephone poles or street lamps and do not pose the same degree of environmental or historic disruptions as larger facilities.
This exemption does not apply to facilities that require antenna structure registration, are located on tribal lands or result in human exposure to radiofrequency radiation in excess of applicable safety standards. Further, this exemption applies only to FCC’s own obligations under NEPA and NHPA. Wireless facilities that fall within this exemption may require reviews under NEPA and NHPA by other federal agencies—for example, by a federal land management agency if the wireless facility is located on public lands.
Implications
The adjustments to NEPA and NHPA regulation for the deployment of new wireless facilities is part of a concerted effort by the FCC to substantially reduce impediments to wireless deployment. Allowing carriers to move swiftly toward 5G capacity and to fill gaps in coverage in rural and underserved areas
Tomi Engdahl says:
France’s LETI Revs up 5G Research Projects
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333210
As the European association that brings together four leading research institutes in microelectronics meets this week in Brussels to mark its 10th anniversary, EE Times spoke to Emmanuel Sabonnadiere, CEO of LETI in France, to get a perspective on some of the work emerging from the French technology research institute — including its outdoor super Wi-Fi communications network based on its multicarrier BF-OFDM waveform technology.
Emmanuel Sabonnadiere said that Leti’s short term strategy (in the next three to five years) focuses on four broad segments: advanced data and computing, advanced communication and cybersecurity, advanced applications for new mobility, and bio-inspired smart medical devices.
Leti’s research resulted in a new BF-OFDM (block-filtered OFDM) multicarrier waveform for the air interface, addressing a wide range of requirements with a unified physical layer in the same system bandwidth. Last year, it carried out a field trial of this technology, which it says overcomes all shortcomings inherent in actual OFDM waveforms (Wi-Fi/LTE) and is backward compatible with existing receivers
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G Alive and Nearly Ready at AT&T
Lab manager in Austin reports on 28-GHz tests
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333211
5G cellular is a technology with many faces poised for a phased roll starting late this year. An AT&T lab manager in Austin sketched out the challenges making it happen.
AT&T announced plans to make the 3GPP Release 15 version of 5G available in 12 markets before the end of the year. It will initially use a so-called hockey puck that supports high-speed Wi-Fi for consumer and business devices and links to the cellular net over 5G using the 28-GHz band.
“Depending on the vendor, [the pucks use] 400- or 800-MHz channels, and in all cases, we see gigabit-type data rates that are pretty reliable,” said Dave Wolter, an assistant vice president for radio technology at AT&T who runs the lab.
So far, “we see some rain fade, but weather has not been as big a factor as some thought because the links are short — about 100 to 300 meters — and even the farthest links still get a Gbit/second, with probably more possible when you have line of sight.”
Currently the lab does not have equipment hardened for outdoor use. Thus, signals have some attenuation passing through windows.
More work ahead for sub-6 GHz, low latency
So far, AT&T is only conducting simulations in the sub-6-GHz bands that mainstream handsets are expected to use. It’s still not clear which of these frequencies regulators will approve or whether some spectrum will become available in the so-called citizen’s radio band.
In the meantime, AT&T and others are preparing methods for dynamically sharing spectrum between LTE and 5G, the subject of work items at the 3GPP. “Depending on the demand, we wouldn’t have to take an LTE channel out of service to serve the first 5G users — that will ease the transition,” said Wolter, whose team has made more than 330 contributions to 3GPP’s 5G standards across Releases 15, 16, and 17.
Carriers like AT&T are waiting for the standards and regulations to get sorted out before they determine if they need to license new spectrum or re-farm old bands. Those decisions keep Wolter’s group in a holding pattern for setting up a sub-6-GHz test bed.
A handful of other 5G uses are in the works. Rival Verizon announced that it will use 5G to offer fixed-wireless internet access this year, competing with the likes of Comcast. AT&T is running pilots in three cities for its fixed wireless service but hasn’t announced timing for a commercial service.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G Alive and Nearly Ready at AT&T
Lab manager in Austin reports on 28-GHz tests
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333211
5G cellular is a technology with many faces poised for a phased roll starting late this year. An AT&T lab manager in Austin sketched out the challenges making it happen.
AT&T announced plans to make the 3GPP Release 15 version of 5G available in 12 markets before the end of the year. It will initially use a so-called hockey puck that supports high-speed Wi-Fi for consumer and business devices and links to the cellular net over 5G using the 28-GHz band.
“Depending on the vendor, [the pucks use] 400- or 800-MHz channels, and in all cases, we see gigabit-type data rates that are pretty reliable,” said Dave Wolter, an assistant vice president for radio technology at AT&T who runs the lab.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Elisa takes the lead in the coming 5G networks by selling 5G-ready subscriptions for sale in Finland. At the beginning, however, it is only the current fastest LTE networks that reach Elisa at up to 600 megabits per second.
The design and construction of commercial 5G networks can be started in Finland after the 3.5GHz frequency has been allocated to 5G in 2018. Operators are already preparing their networks for changes in the 5G solutions.
Source: https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/04/26/5g-ready-liittyma-nykyverkkoon/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia takes 5G to 90 gigahertz
Nokia Bell Labs, announces the announcement of the first antenna matrix in the 90 GHz range. At the same time, Bell Labs announces joint 5G field tests in 90 GHz with Japanese NTT DoCoMo.
At present, mobile networks operate mainly at less than 3.5 gigahertz. Although new standards can improve spectrum efficiency, in practice, the data speeds required in 5G require new areas higher than millimeter frequencies.
Nokia was already involved in the establishment of the MMwave coalition last year. The purpose of this consortium is to remove regulatory restrictions from 95 to 450 gigahertz.
In connection with this work, Nokia has been granted special permission to introduce radio links at 90GHz at the New York 5G Summit.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7901&via=n&datum=2018-04-24_15:14:48&mottagare=31202
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 5G wireless revolution will come, if your city council doesn’t block it first
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/26/5g-wireless/?utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&sr_share=facebook
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The 5G wireless revolution will come, if your city council doesn’t block it first
Danny Crichton
@dannycrichton / Yesterday
LTE auction winner pulls out of 2 billion zloty deal
The excitement around 5G is palpable at the Brooklyn 5G Summit this week, and for good reason. Once the province of academic engineers, there is increasingly a consensus emerging among technology leaders that millimeter-wave technology is ready for prime time.
Yet there remain large barriers to a successful rollout, particularly at the local government level. Those challenges could prevent the U.S. from aggressively competing with other nations like China, which are investing massive resources to lead this next generation of wireless technology.
the network architecture of wireless is expected to change drastically in the years ahead. More computing will be done at the “edge” in order to reduce network latency and power the internet of things.
The good news is that the U.S. has conceived and launched this test program. The bad news is that we may still be too slow to win the competition for this generation of wireless tech.
The White House and the federal government have made a 5G rollout a national security priority, but getting 5G wireless into the hands of consumers is likely to be stymied by opposition from local city councils and mayors around the issue of site access.
In order to provide reliable cell service, operators need to deploy cell sites near consumers.
Concerns about cancer, historical preservation and fees for renting space have slowed the expansion of wireless services to communities across the country. Permits for erecting a new cell site can easily take a year or more.
The fear is that if permits continue to take so long for every new site, the burden of that process could kill 5G in the United States.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Brooklyn 5G Summit: Network Slicing & Edge Computing Gain Importance
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333240
While much of the talk surrounding 5G revolves around the new radio, network slicing and edge computing could open many business use cases not previously considered.
The fifth annual Brooklyn 5G Summit took place on April 25 and 26 at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Those of us not able to attend in person could watch it all through IEEEtv. The two days of presentations and panels highlighted 5G’s many aspects that included the technology — 5G New Radio (5GNR) to millimeter-wave (mmWave) — to the business use cases needed to make 5G a success.
While 5GNR and mmWave technologies will bring higher data rates, the concepts of network slicing and edge computing within 5G could open new business use cases. Indeed, both computing resources have gained so much interest this year that the Brooklyn Summit dedicated an entire panel to them. Network slicing and edge computing appeared across several panels and presentations. “The core network is getting more important,” said DOCOMO’s Kenichirou Matsumoto. “The network cloud needs to divide to become more local,” referring to moving computation away from network cores. AT&T’s Peter Musgrave added, “The core needs more attention than 5GNR.”
The idea behind network slicing stems from the fact that different users need different wireless services. A factory has different needs than a consumer or an IoT device. Instead of simply trying to build a network that moves bits faster, as was the case for 3G and 4G, network slicing lets applications take advantage of a virtual network that brings the most value.
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. commerce secretary says 5G priority for Trump administration
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sprint-corp-m-a-ross/u-s-commerce-secretary-says-5g-priority-for-trump-administration-idUSKBN1I23VA
The U.S. commerce secretary said on Tuesday that building a next-generation 5G mobile network was a priority for President Donald Trump’s administration, boosting the argument behind the proposed merger of wireless carriers Sprint Corp (S.N) and T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS.O).
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G Poised for Commercial Rollout by 2020
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/5g-is-meeting-its-targets-for-2020-commercial-rollout
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/static/the-race-to-5g
Tomi Engdahl says:
Brooklyn 5G: mmWave More Promising Than First Thought
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333252
mmWave shows promise but still needs more work before deployment can begin.
“Millimeter wave (mmWave) works,” said National Instruments’ Ian Wong at this year’s Brooklyn 5G Summit. “There were skeptics five years ago. We are seeing that mmWave works better than expected.” That sentiment was echoed by others on the Future X-Radio panel. While that’s a start, there’s plenty more work needed. “We need to have all the parameters and details in place so that they work together,” added Nokia’s Antti Toksala. “Interoperability is the key.”
Issues of signal attenuation in mmWave frequencies being considered for 5G (28 GHz, 39 GHz, and 70 GHz) have been lower than anticipated. Attenuation relates directly to bit-error rate, the ultimate test of any digital communications system. mmWave frequencies, with their wider bandwidth and available spectrum, will likely become a significant part of 5G deployment, most likely starting with fixed-access internet.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home> Community > Blogs > 5G Waves
AT&T sours on 5G fixed wireless broadband
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460617/AT-T-sours-on-5G-fixed-mobile-broadband
AT&T doesn’t have a good business case for fixed wireless broadband, according to company CFO John Stephens. It’s a remarkable assertion for a number of reasons.
A couple of years back, AT&T and Verizon irritated the entire wireless industry by demanding an acceleration in the wireless technology standards process so that they could market a service they could plausibly call 5G in 2018, rather than wait for 2020, the original target for the ratification of the first 5G standards.
The service that AT&T and Verizon were determined to rush to market is fixed wireless broadband, which is “fixed” in that neither the transmitter nor (more to the point) the receiver moves. It will be a predominantly residential service, possibly useful also for small businesses.
A couple of years back, AT&T and Verizon irritated the entire wireless industry by demanding an acceleration in the wireless technology standards process so that they could market a service they could plausibly call 5G in 2018, rather than wait for 2020, the original target for the ratification of the first 5G standards.
The service that AT&T and Verizon were determined to rush to market is fixed wireless broadband, which is “fixed” in that neither the transmitter nor (more to the point) the receiver moves. It will be a predominantly residential service, possibly useful also for small businesses.
There is a set of technologies that are essential to 5G networks, which can also be used to improve the performance of 4G networks. Those technologies include higher order modulation (256 QAM), multiple antennas (4×4 multiple input/multiple output, or MIMO), and carrier aggregation (3- and 4-way). Those are the technologies that AT&T and Verizon were eager to have standardized in 2018. They got their wish. Now, they are using these technologies in their 4G networks to enable fixed wireless broadband.
Both AT&T and Verizon see value in being first with a 5G service; never mind that it isn’t really 5G. Marketing hype has some value but, more importantly, those 5G enablers can boost 4G networks closer to parity with wireline networks in terms of bandwidth. AT&T, Verizon, and others have been touting experiments that show fixed wireless broadband works. Most companies testing fixed wireless broadband claim to have achieved transmission speeds of several hundred megabits a second.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The world’s smallest online tester for 5G networks
Anritsu has released a new firmware update for its small-sized Netowrk Master Pro MT1000A network tester. With the upgrade, the device will become the market’s smallest 5G network tester with 100 gigabytes of eCPRI support.
Specifically, an upgraded MT1000A tester can test eCPRI connections that have been extended to support ethernet, ie radio traffic over Ethernet. This is becoming more common in 5G networks where the cells are usually small and base stations are connected to the chassis by Ethernet.
With Ethernet, link latencies have very strict requirements. The MT1000A tester can measure other critical features in addition to delays.
The MT1000A is capable of testing high-speed communication links from 10 megabytes to 100 gigabytes.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7976-maailman-pienin-verkkotesteri-5g-verkoille
Tomi Engdahl says:
OnScale: Driving 5G Innovation
https://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/networks/onscale-driving-5g-innovation
We all want 5G smartphones that can live stream high-definition selfies, 5G augmented reality gear or 5G drones that can broadcast 4K video from anywhere on the planet.
We all want 5G smartphones that can live stream high-definition selfies, 5G augmented reality gear or 5G drones that can broadcast 4K video from anywhere on the planet. But analysts say 5G devices aren’t coming any time soon. Let’s take a deeper look at why.
Tomi Engdahl says:
OnScale: Driving 5G Innovation
https://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/networks/onscale-driving-5g-innovation
We all want 5G smartphones that can live stream high-definition selfies, 5G augmented reality gear or 5G drones that can broadcast 4K video from anywhere on the planet. But analysts say 5G devices aren’t coming any time soon. Let’s take a deeper look at why.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G phones are coming this year
Operators tighten their investments in new network technology and many want to bring their users 5G connections this year. According to Qualcomm, the first 5G phones may come on the market already in the latter half of this year.
Manufacturers Huawei has already promised to launch a 5G router during the summer. Rumors have also been heard about the 5G phone.
According to Qualcomm, 5G phones are being manufactured by several manufacturers. Depending on network features, the devices can reach 2 or even 4 gigabits per second.
Source:http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7989&via=n&datum=2018-05-14_15:07:46&mottagare=31202
Tomi Engdahl says:
Verizon names Los Angeles as the second of four cities to receive 5G rollout before 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/15/verizon-names-los-angeles-as-the-second-of-four-cities-to-receive-5g-rollout-before-2019/?utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&sr_share=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
On Nokia’s campus in Espoo, Chile, today is what is the future of the television. Demonstrating 5G-broadcast technology together with Qualcomm, Nokia, MTV, Elisa, ENENSYS Technologies, Bittium and Yle.
It is intended in practice to show that the distribution of the TV signal is viable with the 5G technology. 3GPP has defined certain requirements for the distribution of television signal over the 5G network and this entity is standardized by the term enTV (enhanced TV). It is part of 3GPP’s Release 14 definitions.
EnTV extensions to the Release 14 standard introduce practically to operators a number of radio interface enhancements that can improve coverage across the mobile network and increase network capacity. EnTV broadcasts can also be monitored on devices that do not have a SIM card or subscription contract for content.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8003-nokian-kampuksella-demotaan-tulevaisuuden-televisiota
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/05/18/5g-aika-lahestyy-nr-standardilla-testerivalmistajat-valmiina/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/5g-n-nopeudesta-puhutaan-liikaa-vie-keskustelua-ikavaan-suuntaan-6725399
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G: Are We There Yet?
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333305
The technology for 5G is largely locked and loaded. But where are the business cases?
Attending the U.K.’s first IEEE 5G summit in Glasgow this week made me think of Donkey’s persistent question in the movie Shrek: “Are we there yet?” In the 5G world, it certainly seems that 5G is nowhere near there yet — not because of the lack of devices and technology but more about the lack of clear business cases.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sprint, T-Mobile Pitch Merger Based on 5G Potential
https://it.toolbox.com/articles/sprint-t-mobile-pitch-merger-based-on-5g-potential?mid=6158450&lgid=3441165&mailing_id=3843071&lpid=699&tfso=149898
T-Mobile is campaigning intensely for approval of its proposed $26 billion acquisition of smaller rival Sprint, arguing it will benefit consumers by accelerating the roll out of the latest-generation 5G mobile telephony networks.
“This combination will create a fierce competitor able to deliver lower prices, more innovation, and a second-to-none network experience,” says T-Mobile CEO John Legere.
Seismic shift
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure agrees: “Going from 4G to 5G is like going from black-and-white to color TV. It’s a seismic shift – one that only the combined company can unlock nationwide to fuel the next wave of mobile innovation.”
The shift to 5G technology is daunting for companies because of the huge capital investment in equipment required. Using waves in spectrum bands ranging from 600 MHz to 60 GHz, 5G can offer substantially faster data speeds than 4G – in theory up to about 10 gigabytes per second at higher bands, where capacity is greatest – but these waves have a shorter range and are limited to line-of-sight transmission. This means they are also weather-sensitive and may not work indoors, behind a mountain or in the rain.
Because it has a shorter range, and less ability to penetrate buildings and trees, high-band 5G requires more cell towers, new broadcast equipment and new devices.
Carriers including ATT, Verizon/Frontier and T Mobile/Deutsche Telekom are already installing 5G equipment, and all are planning a steady rollout of service channels. Both ATT and Verizon are looking at purchasing higher-spectrum bandwidth and have announced ambitious plans to introduce 5G technology over the next few years.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How will 5G unlock the potential of autonomous driving? [video]
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2018/05/10/how-will-5g-unlock-potential-autonomous-driving?cmpid=br5gus182540503221166008419497589
Many experts throughout the mobile and auto industries discuss how self-driving vehicles are just one of the incredible technologies that will be unlocked by 5G, which led some in the press to believe that autonomous cars will become a reality only when 5G data networks are fully operational and ubiquitous.
It is true that 5G network communication will redefine automotive by offering multi-gigabit speeds for immersive user experiences, as well as, new infotainment, telematics and teleoperation use cases. However, the evolution to 5G New Radio (5G NR) doesn’t stop there. In addition to 5G network communication, 5G will also define a direct communication mode that will allow cars to communicate with each other directly for autonomous driving use cases. This mode of operation can operate without dependency or reliance on wide area network coverage.
“In addition to 5G network communication, 5G will also define a direct communication mode that will allow cars to communicate with each other directly for autonomous driving use cases … without dependency or reliance on wide area network coverage.”
Durga Prasad Malladi, Senior Vice President, Engineering, Qualcomm Technologies
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/05/23/pohjoismaat-hakevat-johtavaa-roolia-5g-verkkoihin/
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8037-ensimmaiset-5g-taajuudet-huutokaupataan-tana-vuonna
Tomi Engdahl says:
In Kirkkonummi Finland the 3.5 GHz radio band 5G bandwidth is tested
DNA and Ericsson test 5G network operations at Kirkkonummi. The ongoing tests are a continuation of last year’s test. Their main goal is to test the 5G services as well as the access point by area code. The tests measured the speed of 1.5 gigabytes at 3.5 gigahertz.
The tests focus on top-of-the-range speeds, including 5G base stations and new 5G technologies such as beamforming and beam tracking.
Beamforming aligns the radiosphere of the base station to a particular receiver, significantly improving the quality of the received signal. It allows the mobile receiver to be monitored by radio mode. In practice, technology can produce, for example, cost-effective fast broadband for households or mobile vehicles.
Testimonials for the church will be made for a temporary test run by the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority by issuing a 3.5GHz 5G frequency. Ericsson also has the headquarters and research center in Kirkkonummi.
In February last year, DNA and Ericsson also announced the results of the 5G tests at 28 gigahertz. The new 3.5 GHz bandwidth readings now achieved are a 1.5 Gbps transfer rate of a radio link and a delay of less than 3 ms.
Source: https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/05/25/kirkkonummella-testaan-35-gigahertsin-5g-taajuutta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm readies 60GHz goodies for Facebook’s Terragraph
Also unveils silicon for 5G NR small cells, because big rigs will drown on traffic any year now
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/22/qualcomm_60ghz_facebook_terragraph/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460617/AT-T-sours-on-5G-fixed-mobile-broadband
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/05/25/kirkkonummella-testataan-35-gigahertsin-5g-taajuutta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/05/28/aalto-kehittamaan-yhteistyossa-5g-6g-verkkojen-tietoturvaa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Waiting for 5G? Consider downloading instead
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460681/Waiting-for-5G–Consider-downloading-instead
Whether ‘tis nobler to stream video, or to download it? Aye, there’s the rub. There are pros and cons to both, but with 5G networks right around the corner, choosing streaming will be a no-brainer now and into the future, right? Maybe. Maybe not.
Certainly not in the short run, according to the executives at Penthera, a company that specializes in systems that support video downloading.
In recent years, streaming on 4G networks has been the default for mobile phone users. Unlimited data plans made it cheap to stream, compression technology kept bandwidth requirements for a stream relatively low, and – unlike downloading – streaming can’t exhaust the limited memory of end devices.
Streaming is convenient, but it has never been a consistently top-quality experience. Streaming services do a fair job of minimizing buffering, but buffering delays still happen. The alternative to buffering is to temporarily diminish resolution, and that is now occurring with greater frequency.
4G networks are overburdened now, and traffic demands continue to grow at eye-popping rates.
Wireless carriers have been shunting as much video streaming as they can through public and private Wi-Fi networks. That has certainly mitigated the problem on wireless infrastructure, but public Wi-Fi networks, especially, have their own performance shortcomings when it comes to traffic congestion.
At least partially in response, streaming services are offering the ability to download content. Amazon Prime began giving subscribers the option to download content in 2015. Netflix originally dismissed the move, but then began to enable downloading late in 2016.
When people download, network quality and capacity cease to be issues (as long as they’re doing it well in advance of consuming the video, of course). Downloading video unquestionably delivers a more consistent viewing experience. But the option appears to be infrequently used, and when it is, it’s rarely to achieve a better viewing experience. All estimates of the percentage of downloading activity versus streaming is in the single digits.
Still, video consumption is growing rapidly, and something has to give. One of those things is 4G networks themselves. Most of the largest wireless operators have already embarked on the massive and costly endeavor of upgrading to 5G wireless technology to complement existing 3G and 4G networks. 5G will vastly improve network bandwidth, capacity, and reliability, which should go a long way in addressing the problems associated with video streaming.
“Look, I don’t have a crystal ball. Certainly, some people have the view that this world of ubiquitous and free or inexpensive connectivity is around the corner,” Taitz told EDN. “I don’t see how that’s likely with the growth in volume of video demand and with how bandwidth-intensive video is. And it’s getting more, not less, with 4K video, 8K video, forms of virtual reality, that are going to take up more and more bandwidth.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/5g-tulee-kovaa-vauhtia-kl-mukana-kokonaan-uusi-verkon-ominaisuus-6727723
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/06/01/5g-kokeiluihin-uusi-yhteistyoverkosto/
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Is 5G? & How 5G Will Change The World!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhECDSuXRDs
5G is Comming | Things you should know about [5G]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7tfsvPMK5U
Tomi Engdahl says:
DOES IT MATTER IF CHINA BEATS THE US TO BUILD A 5G NETWORK?
https://www.wired.com/story/does-it-matter-if-china-beats-the-us-to-build-a-5g-network/
TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR the next generation of wireless services aren’t even finalized, yet the US and China are already locked in a crucial race to be the first country to deploy a so-called 5G network.
Or at least that’s what both the US government and the wireless industry say. “The United States will not get a second chance to win the global 5G race,”
the wireless industry group CTIA, warned in April, when the group released a report concluding that the US trails China and South Korea in preparing for 5G (fifth generation) networks. If that doesn’t change, the report warns, the US economy will suffer.
The report echoed a leaked National Security Council document that suggested the US government consider building a 5G network. If China dominates the telecommunications network industry, the document said, it “will win politically, economically, and militarily.”
Democrats are worried too.
The first specifications for the 5G standard were released last year, but the rest of the standard isn’t expected until later this month. Carriers don’t expect national availability in the US until 2020. The wireless industry promises that 5G will bring enormous boosts in speed and reliability to mobile devices, bridge the gap between wireline and wireless broadband speeds, and enable a new wave of technologies and applications that we can’t even imagine yet.
But why exactly is it so important for the US to build 5G networks before China? The benefits of 5G are obvious, but today the US doesn’t have the fastest home broadband speeds, nor the fastest or most widely available 4G networks, and often lags countries such as Finland, Japan, and South Korea in such metrics. Why would the US’s economic strength erode if it’s a bit late to the 5G party?
A widely cited 2016 report by consulting firm Accenture estimates that the construction and maintenance of 5G networks in the US could result in 3 million jobs and a $500 billion boost to GDP.
“Even if China wins the race to build various 5G technologies, it won’t be a zero-sum game,”
For one thing, the two countries’ economies remain dependent on one another. Chinese telecommunications company ZTE nearly collapsed after the US barred American companies from selling components to it. Even if China “wins,” US companies will benefit by selling technology to China.
Ultimately, it’s the decisions of consumers and the private sector that determine the winners and losers in technology. The US “beat” Europe and Japan because Apple created a product that took smartphones mainstream, Google built a popular mobile operating system and gave it away for free, and Facebook built a platform that keeps people glued to their phones. The concern is that if China delivers widespread access to 5G first, its companies will get a head start on creating the next generation of high-tech products and services.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Will 5G be reliable?
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460753/Will-5G-be-reliable–
While 5G is on a path to deployment—perhaps earlier than many pundits expected—it will not be as pervasive as LTE. In fact, service operators continue to deploy LTE even today. In the 5G context, deployment will take years and perhaps longer than LTE because of the complexity and the flexibility of the standard. Flexibility is what enables the new use cases targeted by the 3GPP for 5G including enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), the Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency (URLLC), and the Massive Machine Type (mMTC) broad categories. Not only must operators deploy the new 5G infrastructure equipment, but the standard as it stands now has so many variations and configurations that the initial deployments will likely be a subset of the immense and comprehensive initial promise.
So where does that leave reliability? Well, everyone who owns a cell phone wants better reliability. Can 5G cure the proverbial, “dropped call?” 3GPP Release 15 includes a few improvements over LTE pertaining to reliability. The flexible frame structure with various options of sub-carrier spacing, modulation, and coding provide a solid foundation at the physical layer. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) and ARQ are included as well with LTE and will initiate “retries” on corrupted data. In addition, the 3GPP specified new reference signals to improve synchronization to enhance demodulation efficiency, which will significantly improve bit-error rate (BER) and ultimately lead to enhanced coverage.
With that said, the 3GPP did introduce some technologies that may prove challenging for enhanced reliability in some use cases. First, the inclusion of mmWave spectrum with phased array antenna technologies will pressure the reliability curve. mmWave signals are highly directional and when blocked, the signal level to the receiver may drop below a signal to noise (SNR) threshold that ultimately “drops” the link. The 3GPP is addressing this issue with beam management and recovery methods but the challenge is not only real but highly probable.
Beam management and recovery schemes must be optimized to prevent “drops.”
To wrap up, here are some takeaways from my time at the Emerging Technologies Workshop.
First, operators will need to streamline the collection of network resources to be application specific to ensure that these use cases achieve the results they depend upon. “Network slicing” facilitates this type of resource allocation by implementing user profiles to optimize the 5G network toward specific use cases with a set of performance objectives, and perhaps they may charge accordingly.
Second, even with the improvements to 5G physical layer, there is no guarantee of better reliability. Network slicing may deliver better reliability for certain use cases but achieving higher levels of reliability greater than that may be difficult to achieve.
Third, 5G mmWave communication faces several challenges not encumbered by 5G networks operating below 6 GHz.
And finally, achieving reliability may not be possible without some sort of macro diversity including coordinate multi-point or dual connectivity. There is only so much researchers can do at the PHY and MAC layers, and reliability exploration and evolution may in fact need system or network solutions to achieve the 3GPP goals for reliability.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8110-nokia-demosi-kaksisuuntaista-5g-dataa
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8113-5g-valopylvaat-vetivat-espoon-alykisan-voittoon
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tech Talk: 5G Everywhere
https://semiengineering.com/tech-talk-5g-everywhere/
Where 5G works, where it doesn’t, and why it’s essential for so many markets.
Sarah Yost, senior product marketing manager at National Instruments, talks about the promise of 5G, where it works and where it doesn’t work, and why it’s so critical for so many different markets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=CzxdrrhSvGY
Tomi Engdahl says:
Asus Foreshadows 5G Handsets
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333373
A new handset from Asus gives a glimpse into design issues for next year’s 5G smartphones supporting millimeter wave bands.
Asus announced at Computex what could possibly be the most powerful smartphone to date. The Asus ROG (Republic of Gamers) is a beast, with features such as vapor chamber cooling (found only in gaming laptops), a Snapdragon SDM845 SoC, 8GB RAM, 512 GB storage and a slew of accessories.
The handset has the potential to redefine smartphone gaming. However, my interest in this phone is not gaming, but in one of its connectivity features called 802.11ad aka WiGig, a 60 GHz version of Wi-Fi.
This is Asus’ second attempt at .11ad. Its first .11ad smartphone, the Asus Zen 4 announced last year, only had limited availability. This announcement along with recent news about Facebook’s Terragraph trials shows continued .11ad momentum.
The significance of Asus ROG phone is not just .11ad’s multi-gigabit performance. It foreshadows millimeter wave links in future 5G smartphones, given .11ad uses the 60 GHz band. This phone provides a glimpse of the performance and design considerations of using mmwave well ahead of the 2019 timeframe for 5G handsets.
ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces ROG Phone
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180604005616/en/ASUS-Republic-Gamers-Announces-ROG-Phone
KEY POINTS
Epic performance: World’s fastest speed-binned 2.96GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm Adreno 630 and GameCool vapor-chamber cooling
Unbeatable visuals: AMOLED HDR display with ultrafast 90Hz refresh, 1ms response for smooth, blur-free gaming and 108% DCI-P3 gamut for vivid realism
Total control: Designed for comfortable gaming with unique side-mounted port, programmable ultrasonic AirTrigger sensors and powerful force-feedback system
Endless possibilities: Enhanced gaming experiences with optional TwinView Dock, Mobile Desktop Dock, and Gamevice controller with WiGig Dock
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8129-nokia-soitti-datapuhelun-5g-ja-4g-verkkojen-valilla
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8132-200-megahertsin-radio-nopeuttaa-tukiasemakehitysta
Tomi Engdahl says:
In five years, a billion of 5G subscriptions and 3.5 billion of IoT devices
According to Ericsson’s forecast for the network device manufacturer, after five years, ie by 2023, 3,5 billion IoTs would work on mobile networks and about 20% of mobile network traffic would already be in the new 5G networks.
The prediction of growth in internet IoT has almost doubled and at the same time predicted a fast start for the 5G mobile network. According to Ericsson, North America would be at the forefront of the 5G network technology becoming popular.
Worldwide, mobile service providers have already launched more than 60 IoT networks operating as part of LTE (4G) networks. There are a wide variety of uses, for example, in North America, most of the applications are focused on logistics and the management of transport equipment. In China, IoT’s development has focused on intelligent cities and smart farming.
According to Ericsson, all major US mobile operators have announced the launch of the 5G network at the end of this year or at the latest by mid-2019.
Source: https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/06/13/viidessa-vuodessa-miljardi-5g-liittymaa-ja-35-miljardia-iot-laitetta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Moscow is Building New Civic Services on 5G
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/moscow-is-building-new-civic-services-on-5g
When the national football teams of Morocco and Iran take the field at Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg during the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 15 June, more than 60,000 fans will be there to cheer them on. And, courtesy of more than a dozen specially installed high-definition cameras, residents of Moscow, about 600 kilometers away, will watch the game over a high-speed 5G connection.
The capital of Russia will have what Evgeniy Novikov, an advisor for the Deputy Minister of the IT Department of Moscow, calls a “5G zone,” an area where viewers can don VR glasses and switch between camera views to watch the game in real time.
But for Moscow, the World Cup demonstrations are just the first in a series of ambitious 5G tests and rollouts. The city’s government is confident in the capabilities offered by 5G, though carriers, standards groups, and federal agencies are still sorting out how exactly the technology will work.
It’s not yet entirely clear which frequencies 5G will operate at within the country. “We don’t have any legal frequency for 5G,” says Novikov. The government is currently researching which frequencies it should make available. Two likely candidates are 3.5 and 28 gigahertz, since companies are currently leasing those bands for temporary demonstrations.