What is 5G networking anyway?

[DelJo63]

The following is a synopsis of an article on gemalto.com.

Beyond just speed improvements, 5G is expected to unleash a massive IoT ecosystem where networks can serve communication needs for billions of connected devices, with the right trade-offs between speed, latency and cost.

New 5G SIM definition and benefits

A New Trust Model For The 5G Era
get the whitepaper here.


What is (and what isn’t) 5G, and what is the difference between 4G / LTE and 5G?
5G technology is driven by 8 specification requirements


What are the real 5G use cases?
#UseCases

Each new generation wireless network came with all new set of new usages. The next coming 5G will be focused on IoT and critical communications applications. In terms of agenda, we can mention the following uses cases:

• Fixed wireless access (from 2018-2019 onwards).
• Enhanced mobile broadband with 4G fall-back (from 2019-2020-2021).
• Massive M2M / IoT (from 2021-2022).
• Ultra low-latency IoT critical communications (from 2024-2025).

1G networks brought mobility to analogue voice services
2G networks brought digital cellular voice services and basic data services (SMS, GPRS) – as well as roaming services across networks
2.5G networks brought a slight improvement to data services with Edge
3G networks brought a better mobile internet experience but with limited success to unleash massive data services adoption
3.5G networks brought a true ubiquitous mobile internet , unleashing the success of mobile apps eco-systems.
4G networks brought all-IP services (Voice and Data), a fast broadband internet experience, with unified networks architectures and protocols
4.5G (LTE advanced) networks doubled data speeds from 4G
5G networks expand broadband wireless services beyond mobile internet to IoT and critical communications segments

Q&A

[edit]
To be clear

5G networks also promise better management of congestion and much lower latencies (the gap in time between data leaving your device and reaching its destination). It should feel a lot more like being on Wi-Fi than on a cell network.​

​

5G speeds are going to be fast enough, with low enough latency, to serve as your home internet connection, and some providers have plans to do just that. You’d have a fixed antenna on your house or apartment and receive your home internet data transmission over the air. {just imaging hi-rise apartment buildings (scoff)​

​

at least that's the dream[/edit]

 

[DelJo63]

PS: the whitepaper link does not seem to yield any useful information or access to it (sigh).

 

[DelJo63]

Actual 5G domestic networks:

AT&T
AT&T, which owns CNN's parent company WarnerMedia, launched its 5G network in several cities in late 2018. But for now it's only accessible via a Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot — not a 5G-enabled phone.
To access some of the benefits of 5G, visitors or residents of these cities will need to connect their Wi-Fi devices to the hotspot:

• Atlanta
• Austin, Texas
• Charlotte, N.C.
• Dallas
• Houston
• Indianapolis
• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Los Angeles
• Louisville, Ky.
• Nashville, Tenn.
• New Orleans
• Oklahoma City
• Orlando, Fla.
• Raleigh, N.C.
• San Antonio
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose, Calif.
• Waco, Texas

 

[TheDevopsGuy]

Taking into consideration 5G speeds and up-time/reliability whats your opinion on wireless networks and their case use once 5G is wide spread and at a relative low cost?

Wouldn't ISP's opt for 5G for all services since it streamlines troubleshooting drastically?

Could 5G be the death of Wireless Networks? I can only imagine wireless being used for internal companies and home use whereas if 5G offered better speeds and unlimited data everyone would eventually opt for it.

 

[DelJo63]

Taking into consideration 5G speeds and up-time/reliability whats your opinion on wireless networks and their case use once 5G is wide spread and at a relative low cost?

Everyone is hyped on the speeds promised, when the Use Case is all about iOT devices. Don't forget that those opting for 5G will need to replace ALL of their network infrastructure equipment.

Wouldn't ISP's opt for 5G for all services since it streamlines troubleshooting drastically?

With the extremely short range of 5G, I would severely doubt a massive adoption by ISPs.

Could 5G be the death of Wireless Networks? I can only imagine wireless being used for internal companies and home use whereas if 5G offered better speeds and unlimited data everyone would eventually opt for it.

But 5G has such poor wall penetration the IT budget would easily double.

IMO, with the goal of 5G everywhere (aka like cell service anywhere in the city), it will take forever to see all the features of 5G being used by a large share of the market.

 

[DelJo63]

Cnet.com is reporting:

After years of hearing how 5G is poised to change our lives with lightning-fast phone download speeds, and crisp, super high-resolution video calls, AR apps, and real-time gaming that are all lag-free, 5G is finally real. But it's far from stable -- and stability is the one thing 5G desperately needs.

... {we} have gotten an extensive first-hand taste of 5G on seven networks, in 11 cities spanning Los Angeles to Seoul, with four brands of phones.

Qualcomm, winner: The world's largest mobile chipmaker has been talking up 5G for years, and now that it's live, the company appears to have a dominant position in the field. With the exception of Huawei, every 5G phone contains a Qualcomm chip. A gathering of dozens of carrier, handset and equipment executives on a Qualcomm stage at Mobile World Congress showed off just how critical the company is to the mobile industry.

Huawei, loser: Although Huawei is the world's largest maker of 5G networking equipment, the US action against the company -- a result of its alleged coziness with the Chinese government -- puts its entire business at risk { https://www.cnet.com/news/the-huawei-controversy-everything-you-need-to-know/ }.


Apple, loser: The iPhone is behind the 5G curve. Unlike rivals, Apple has not yet announced its 5G plans. ... If Apple sticks to its September cycle, it'll trail Samsung by a year and a half. The Cupertino brand may not even get its own 5G chip until 2025. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.


Confusing technology: A tale of two 5Gs

{... the } radio frequency ... a carrier will use that makes the difference in the 5G experience you get.
Verizon's Ultra Wideband and AT&T's Plus flavor of 5G use millimeter wave (mmWave), ... This is where you see those ultrahigh speeds.

On the other hand, another swath of spectrum known as "sub-6 GHz" or just "sub-6" -- the so-called midband frequencies -- to give you more coverage, though speeds won't be nearly as high.​

see the article for details and test results.

 

[DelJo63]

CNN has a great article worth reading

Now the past could repeat itself. Upgrading tens of thousands of cell sites in the US to 5G will take six to eight years to catch up to 4G's footprint, according to Dan Hays, executive advisor at consulting firm PwC.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/09/tech/5g-review/index.html