5G is the fifth generation of cellular network technology, which is designed to provide higher bandwidth and more reliable internet connectivity than previous generations of mobile communications. 5G networks leverage a variety of technologies across various frequency bands to deliver faster data speeds and to support low latency applications. 5G connectivity infrastructures allow for more devices to be connected to the network and provide better support for data-intensive tasks such as streaming high-definition video. In these ways, 5G provides support for novel use cases such as connected driving, autonomous industrial automation, and high-performance transport applications smart cities.
Enterprises in different sectors can deploy 5G to boost their productivity, thanks to 5G’s faster and more reliable internet connectivity. For instance, 5G deployments can enable employees to access and share large amounts of data quickly and easily, which is a catalyst for efficient collaboration and improved decision-making. As another example, 5G networks make possible the deployment of effective Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) infrastructures, which can be used to enhance employees’ training and to facilitate the completion of tasks through proper remote support. Also, 5G networks support the deployment of large numbers of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and machines, which boosts the efficiency of many applications. These are some reasons why modern enterprises had better understand the benefits and added value of 5G networks when compared to legacy networking infrastructures of the previous generations.
Key Features of 5G Networks
5G is not only a faster networking infrastructure. Rather it comes with several novel features that differentiate it from previous generations of mobile communications, including:
- Support for Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC): This is an extremely important feature of 5G because it enables real-time applications such as autonomous vehicles and remote surgery. These applications rely on reliable transmission of data in real time so that they can function properly. 5G networks are typically expected to have a latency of 1 millisecond or less. This will allow real-time interaction between devices such as robots, wireless sensor networks and their operators.
- High Speeds in Environments with Many Devices: This benefit applies to environments where many connected devices ask for bandwidth at the same time. Legacy networks become congested when every device uses its full capacity, which slows down everyone else’s activities on the network. With 5G technology, however, each device gets its own dedicated part of the spectrum. Therefore, there is no congestion caused by multiple devices trying to use bandwidth at the same time.
- Very high Speeds that typically are 1000 times more than previous generations: This means less lag time and faster download speeds, which is especially useful for applications like streaming High Definition (HD) video and playing immersive games. A 5G network enables increased spectrum capacity, which waives conventional limits on how much data can be transmitted at one time.
- Increased flexibility in network setup and configuration: 5G can be deployed in different configurations, including both fixed and mobile settings. Most importantly, these configurations can be flexibly customized to meet diverse and stringent Quality of Service (QoS) requirements in environments like smart cities, manufacturing shopfloors, energy plants and oil refineries. With 5G, industrial enterprises can flexibly access network services tailored to their needs, which was not possible in previous generations networks.
Enterprise Use Cases and Benefits of 5G Technology
Based on the above-listed features, 5G enables a host of novel and interesting use cases over a variety of network configurations. At a general level, these include:
- Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) networks that deliver faster download and upload speeds. eMBB networks improve the user experience for tasks such as streaming video and immersive gaming.
- IoT networks, including support for very large numbers of low-power devices. Such applications are increasingly deployed in a variety of settings such as industrial automation, smart cities, and connected cars. For instance, in industrial automation, 5G networks support the use of multiple robots and other machines in sensor saturated manufacturing environments.
- Mission-critical communications that provide low-latency and high-reliability communications to enable applications such as autonomous vehicles and remote process control.
- Fixed wireless access (FWA) networks, which deliver high-speed internet to homes and businesses in areas where it is difficult or expensive to lay fiber-optic cables.
- High performance AR/VR infrastructures, which are gradually becoming high in demand in sectors like gaming, tourism, and training.
- Edge computing applications and infrastructures, which facilitate data processing closer to the source of the data towards reducing latency and improving the efficiency of certain tasks.
These network configurations can support a variety of applications in different areas. In smart cities, 5G infrastructures are key to delivering QoS in applications like traffic management, public safety, emergency services, and environmental monitoring. As another example, 5G networks are already shaping future healthcare applications such as telemedicine, virtual consultations, remote surgery, and emergency response services. Likewise, in manufacturing, 5G networks provide the capacity and QoS needed to support predictive maintenance, remote control of production processes, as well as collaborative robots. Moreover, they enable VR and AR applications in manufacturing, which can be used for training, remote assistance, and visualization of assembly processes.
Overall, 5G networks have the potential to significantly alter the way that individuals and businesses interact with the internet. They will enable faster and more reliable connectivity that has an impact in areas that affect all of us, from education to entertainment to business. 5G networks will significantly improve the QoS of existing applications such as intelligent asset management and remote monitoring of patients. They will also enable a wave of novel applications that are hardly possible nowadays, such as autonomous driving and real-time telesurgery based on tactile interfaces and Mixed Reality (MR). Thus, 5G technology is very likely to be truly disruptive, not only for telecommunication carriers and other businesses that provide network services, but also for the consumers as well. Early adopters of 5G technology have a good chance to reap major benefits from its implementation, which is the reason why enterprises are advised to consider 5G opportunities sooner than later.
