5G is the fifth generation of mobile internet connectivity that
stands out for its greater bandwidth, ultra-reliable communications, low
latency and massive communications Machine to Machine. It will enable a
lot of future applications in different sectors such as education,
health, mobility, industry and leisure. It is also expected to reduce
the digital gap, referring to the differing access to information
between the ones who have a good internet connection and those who do
not. Moreover, 5G deployment is expected to foster the industrialization
processes by empowering the key reference businesses in every country.
One of the main features will be the virtualization and segmentation of the network (thanks to network slicing capabilities) that will enable the creation of different segments of the network, another important feature will be edge computing that will allow placing more computing power near the end users to streamline real time applications.
A specific frequency spectrum is going to be used for eMB services between the users and the antennas, in the commonly known as Radio Access Network (RAN). 3.4 – 3.8 GHz and 26 GHz are the 5G frequency bands going to be used in dense urban zones other lower band frequencies such as 700Mhz due to their better penetration and coverage footprint are expecting to be used for other scenarios.
In this scenarios, there are two types of antennas: macro cells and small cells.
In one hand, macro cells are the current 3G and 4G eNodeB (base stations already deployed mostly over rooftops in urban areas) that can also be adapted to be used in 5G. On the other hand, the small cells are designed for specific urban areas with a very high density of population. The inconvenient is that they present a short range up to 50-300m in free space (empty of hurdles).
The mentioned antennas, need to be connected to the “core” side of the telecommunication networks, also known as the “backhaul” of the network. This connectivity can be provided through the specific installation of radio links or by the deployment of FTTA (Fibre To The Antenna).
FTTA connections are much more efficient but have a higher cost due to the need of its deployment. In Spain there are a lot of unused deployed optical fibre connections, however, in the majority of European countries it will need to be deployed yet. Furthermore, there is also a disposal of auxiliary equipment that offer extra functionalities to the network such as the Mobile/Multiaccess Edge Computing (MEC).
Nowadays, there are 114 pilot tests in the European Community, Spain is leading this list with a number.
In the following sections, different considerations about 5G roll-out will be analysed in more detail, with some possible implications.
One of the main features will be the virtualization and segmentation of the network (thanks to network slicing capabilities) that will enable the creation of different segments of the network, another important feature will be edge computing that will allow placing more computing power near the end users to streamline real time applications.
A specific frequency spectrum is going to be used for eMB services between the users and the antennas, in the commonly known as Radio Access Network (RAN). 3.4 – 3.8 GHz and 26 GHz are the 5G frequency bands going to be used in dense urban zones other lower band frequencies such as 700Mhz due to their better penetration and coverage footprint are expecting to be used for other scenarios.
In this scenarios, there are two types of antennas: macro cells and small cells.
In one hand, macro cells are the current 3G and 4G eNodeB (base stations already deployed mostly over rooftops in urban areas) that can also be adapted to be used in 5G. On the other hand, the small cells are designed for specific urban areas with a very high density of population. The inconvenient is that they present a short range up to 50-300m in free space (empty of hurdles).
The mentioned antennas, need to be connected to the “core” side of the telecommunication networks, also known as the “backhaul” of the network. This connectivity can be provided through the specific installation of radio links or by the deployment of FTTA (Fibre To The Antenna).
FTTA connections are much more efficient but have a higher cost due to the need of its deployment. In Spain there are a lot of unused deployed optical fibre connections, however, in the majority of European countries it will need to be deployed yet. Furthermore, there is also a disposal of auxiliary equipment that offer extra functionalities to the network such as the Mobile/Multiaccess Edge Computing (MEC).
Nowadays, there are 114 pilot tests in the European Community, Spain is leading this list with a number.
In the following sections, different considerations about 5G roll-out will be analysed in more detail, with some possible implications.
