How could 5G change the wireless landscape?

A move from dedicated equipment to software that sits on standard servers.

Today 4G Static

Tomorrow 5G Dynamic

Migration to the cloud

Carriers will look to leverage cloud infrastructure to deliver the promise of:

Faster speeds

Greater bandwidth capacity

Dynamically managed data traffic

An explosion of devices

By 2020, expect 50 billion connected devices, up from 15 billion today.

Data traffic on the rise

Over the next 5 years, global mobile data traffic is expected to increase by

827%

What are the potential benefits of 5G?

Bandwidth support will dramatically improve.

5G is expected to provide a dramatic improvement in bandwidth support, raising the bar for high-utilisation based wireless applications and an exponential improvement in latency, allowing for almost real-time use cases.

5G can be up to

1,000x

Faster

than 4G

5G has

100x

Less Latency

than 4G

Software will replace costly equipment.

Deploying ‘functions’ with software rather than with costly equipment installs leads to:

  • Improved utilisation
  • Better traffic management
  • Lower operating costs
  • Lower data delivery cost
  • New revenue opportunities.

    • Virtualisation will rule.

    Network functions are virtualised so that services can be ‘sliced’ based on specific requirements such as speed, capacity, geography and duration.

    5G will be more scalable to support the Internet of Things, where each device and network will use exactly the amount of bandwidth it needs when it needs it.

    How can 5G capitalise on high-band spectrum?

    High-band spectrum can deliver more data, but requires a denser network with smaller and closer cell sites – think hundreds of metres versus current ranges in miles for existing tower sites.

    4G

    Using larger cell sites, lower frequency bands can travel even longer distances but have lower data capacity.

    5G

    Smaller cell sites are required at higher frequencies; higher spectrum supports greater data capacity.

    Existing bands can be augmented by unused higher frequency bands.

    With 3-4x more spectrum becoming available over the next 5-10 years, 5G plans to capitalise on higher frequency airways in order to carry more traffic per user which is increasingly necessary in a world in which connected devices collect and transmit data continuously.

    5G can use far more of the spectrum