5g technologies. What are the main highlights awaiting us? G - another telecommunications breakthrough

At the dawn of the rapid and rapid development of the telecommunications sector, it is already difficult to imagine life without mobile systems. Not so long ago, in 2012, at a conference in Geneva, LTE Advanced (LTE-A) and WiMAX 2 (WMAN-Advanced, IEEE 802.16m) technologies were presented, which were recognized as the fourth generation technologies or, as they are used to call them, the fourth generation 4G technologies. ... It was stated that these technologies allow data transmission at a speed exceeding 100 Mbit / s for mobile subscribers and 1 Gbit / s for stationary ones. And the operators did not have time to catch their breath, as already in 2015 there are reports of the development of next-generation 5G networks. So what is 5G and do we really need these technologies?

At the moment, there is no clear standard for fifth generation networks, however, telecommunications companies, such as Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, are already proposing the concept of future 5G networks. 5G is envisioned to be the latest and generic standard for wireless technology.

Returning to the conversation about fourth generation (4G) networks, it is worth saying that their key feature to attract subscribers has become a high speed. But, as practice has shown, speed is not a key factor. Do not forget about such parameters as network capacity, packet transmission delays and other factors. And since a colossal number of devices are planned to work in 5G networks, from coffee machines, refrigerators and ending with cars, it is necessary to seriously improve the basic parameters of wireless networks, namely, an increase in the speed of data transmission to many subscribers, an increase in network capacity and a decrease in delays.

It is planned to achieve this as follows:

1. Increase of network bandwidth over 10 Gbps;
2. The number of simultaneous connections up to 100 million devices per square kilometer;
3. Providing a decrease in network latency up to 1 ms;
4. Allocation of a certain resource capacity to each service.

Virtualization in 5G networks

One of the main technologies in the fifth generation networks will be the "Internet of Things". The Internet of Things is not just a multitude of different devices and sensors interconnected by wired and wireless communication channels and connected to the Internet, it is a closer integration of the real and virtual worlds in which communication takes place between people and devices. To implement this, technologies such as wireless sensor networks and RFID (a method of automatic object identification) will be used. Thus, the implementation of the "Internet of Things" in the fifth generation 5G network will not only allow a range of household gadgets and devices (smart watches, VR devices, tablets and smartphones) to interact in a single network, but will also cover all areas of human activity (smart home technology and smart city).

Figure 1 - Coverage of 5G technology in human life

It is also worth noting that 5G technology plans to become a truly converged technology. Convergence means the grouping of individual network components into a single optimized computing complex. The organization of this complex is planned using hardware virtualization. That is, operators, using a set of servers and DATA centers, will organize virtual equipment for processing and storing data, while physical equipment will be used only for transmitting user traffic. Thus, there will be a decrease in the amount of equipment for one base station, and if we take into account that all this will be a kind of cloud, then the operator will have access to any point in the network to dynamically configure a particular network segment.

All this will be based on SDN technology - a data transmission network, in which the network management level is separated from data transmission devices and is implemented in software, and NVF is a network architecture concept that offers the use of virtualization technologies for entire classes of functions of network nodes in the form constituent elementswhich can be linked together or linked in a chain to create telecommunication services (services).

Figure 2 - Virtualization of 5G networks

Due to network virtualization, it becomes possible to organize such a function as "networks on demand".

Figure 3 - Networks on demand in 5G

As you know, for the organization of a specific network task (smartphone network, smart home, etc.) there are ready-made solutions with a set of parameters and specific equipment. 5G networks, through virtualization and network technology "on demand", offer to pre-arrange servers and DATA centers for operators, taking into account all the requirements for the network. A kind of box solution for the operator.

Fifth Generation Network Architecture

It was decided to change the problem with coverage and accessibility to the network by focusing on subscribers, that is, the radio coverage of the network will adapt to the needs of subscribers, in contrast to previous generation networks. It is planned to use automatic phased antenna arrays capable of dynamically changing the directional patterns of antenna systems. It is also planned to use the entire available frequency range, in particular the use of the millimeter wave at short distances.

With regards to the issue of the 5G network architecture, it is worth highlighting three subsystems (clouds), yes - cloud technologies, where without them in the modern world:

1. Access cloud (Access) - implies the inclusion of both distributed and centralized technologies and access systems. Backward compatibility with 4G and 3G networks is also planned;
2. Cloud control (Control) - management of sessions, mobility and quality of service;
3. Transport cloud (Forward) - physical data transfer to the network with high reliability, speed and load balancing.

Figure 4 - 5G network architecture.

Radio interface

As for the 5G radio interface, it is planned to increase the spectral efficiency by 3 times compared to the fourth generation (4G) networks. This contributes to the fact that with the same bandwidth, up to 3 times more data is transmitted, that is, about 6 bits / s per 1 Hz. The new radio interface is planned to be flexible, easily configurable and backward compatible with 4G and 3G networks.

Figure 5 - Concept of a new radio interface

Huawei has proposed the following solution for the new interface:

Figure 6 - Basic technologies for the radio interface in 5G according to Huawei

As can be seen from the figure, the following technologies are supposed to be used:

• SCMA (Sparse Code Multiple Access) - separation of subscribers based on a sparse code, with no need for confirmation of delivery. In this technology, bit streams of different users in one frequency resource are directly converted into a codeword using the so-called codebook from a certain set. These codes are conventionally called quasi-orthogonal and the number of these codes is quite large and has a two-dimensional structure. That is, the original signal is superimposed on the codebook and the already converted signal enters the radio interface. Reconstruction of the signal on the receiving side is also done according to the codebook.

Figure 7 - SCMA technology algorithm

• F-OFDM (Flexibel OFDM) is an advanced OFDM technology that allows flexible subcarrier division, flexible symbol length change and flexible cyclic prefix change. That is, a separate set of parameters will be used for each task.

Figure 8 - Comparison of OFDM and F-OFDM technology

• Polar Code is a linear correction code based on the phenomenon of channel polarization.
• The illustration below also presents additional, but undoubtedly important technologies for 5G networks.

Complementary technologies in 5G networks

• Massive MIMO - transmission of up to 8 data streams to one subscriber. In Massive MIMO, a subscriber can operate a large number of antennas simultaneously, which will form very sharp radiation patterns. The use of spatial multiplexing of several beams will increase the received signal level and suppress interference from other users, thereby increasing the bandwidth and spectral efficiency;

Figure 9 - Massive MIMO

• Novel Multiple Access - new access technologies, for example, SCMA;
• New Full Duplex - allows you to use the same frequency in different cells for different tasks (UpLink and DownLink);

Figure 10 - Principle of operation of New Full Duplex

• Flexibel Duplex - allows you to organize flexible traffic transmission. That is, for example, in UPLink to transmit information for DownLink;

Figure 11 - Flexibel Duplex working principle

• FBMC / UFMC (Filter Bank Multicarrier, Universal Filter Multi-Carrier) - increases spectral efficiency, improves channel selectivity, allows the use in "cognitive radio";
• Adv. Coding and Modulation - the use of a set of modulation and coding technologies, including such as Non-binary coding, Bit-mapping techniques, Joint coding & modulation;
• Ultra-dense networking - due to virtualization, it allows organizing ultra-dense networks, due to which it will be possible to serve a large number of subscribers on the n-th area, which in turn allows building complex network hierarchies. Also, this technology allows the simultaneous interaction of cells with each other;

Figure 12 - Ultra-dense technology

• Low latency & high reliability - reduced latency and increased reliability;
• M2M / D2D - transfer of information directly between devices (machines, devices) without human intervention. Expansion of coverage at the expense of subscribers' devices Construction of a decentralized network;
• High frequency communication - frequencies below 6 GHz will be the primary bands for the 5G network. Frequencies above 6GHz for universal access and backbone communications. As you can see from the figure below, it is planned to use the frequency range up to 100 GHz;

Figure 13 - 5G Frequency Plan

• Spectrum sharing - sharing spectrum at different levels by different access technologies.

Network management in 5G will be carried out through the developed TelecommunicationOS. That is, different industries and categories of users will use the same operating platform to access the network infrastructure.

Figure 14 - 5G Network Management

Experimental data when testing 5G technology

Those who follow the news of the development of wireless technologies have probably already heard that not so long ago, in June 2016, MegaFon demonstrated data transmission in 1 Gbps at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Overcoming the gigabit threshold has been a long-awaited event since the release of the standard for 4G networks. But what is going on in the global market?

Less than a month ago, during testing of 5G network equipment in Sweden, Telia, together with Ericsson, demonstrated data transmission at a speed of 15 Gbps per user. The response time was less than 3 ms. These figures are more than forty times higher than those of the functioning 4G network. By the way, the developed roadmap provides for peak data transfer rates of 20 Gbit / s for fifth-generation networks. According to the management of Telia operator, the launch of commercial 5G networks is planned in 2018 in Stockholm and the capital of Estonia - Tallinn.

But Huawei remains the undisputed leader in the wireless equipment market. Nearly all significant speed records mobile internet belongs to it and for several years in a row Huawei experts have not given the palm to anyone. In July of this (2016) year, information appeared on the company's official website that, together with Vodafone, they managed to overclock the network speed to 20 Gbps in the E-band. And most surprisingly, Huawei announced that the construction of 5G networks will be completed in Russia by 2018. Naturally, the network will serve the cities in which the World Cup will be held. Most likely, the demonstration of gigabit speeds in June this year by MegaFon is the first step towards the implementation of this project.

Despite the fact that the speed of 20 Gbit / s is defined by the International Telecommunication Union as the base, Huawei is going to create much faster networks, as prototypes of base stations and receivers are presented on the forums, which allow supporting data transmission at 115 Gbit / s.

Also, gigabit speeds are no exception for moving subscribers, because a couple of months ago Huawei transferred 10 Gbps to a subscriber moving at a speed of 120 km / h. Naturally, the main success of the experiment depends on the accuracy of tracking the subscriber with the beam pattern of the base station supporting MIMO and Beamforming.

Conclusion

Now it is quite difficult to talk about the possibilities and timing of the implementation of commercial 5G networks, provided that the standard has not even been introduced yet, but manufacturers have taken up new generation networks very sharply, and their developments are even ahead of the standard's release. If the companies participating in the project succeed in achieving their goals, then the whole world will be able to get a single, stable, converged and highly available new generation network, after the introduction of which it is already for a long time there is no need to create and develop new generation networks. In any case, representatives of the International Telecommunication Union declare their hopes that 5G will become a point in the development of wireless networks, there will be no significant reworking of the architecture, and only a minor revision of the radio part awaits us.

As of 2019, the costs of passing the ever-increasing traffic through the networks of telecom operators are not covered by revenues from traditional services. Search for new services, the so-called. The “killer application” of traditional telecom platforms usually does not give the expected results.

Meanwhile, the main growth in traffic and income is not in the human device sector, but in the IoT device sector, which is one of the basic goals of 5G functionality.

Standardization

The standardization of 5G technologies and solutions should be completed by 2021, so the term 5G so far denotes only fragmentary solutions that will in the future become part of the full-scale solution IMT2020. Such solutions are already being deployed in different countries, however, they are still of a local and test nature, and do not provide all the planned functionality of IMT2020 networks.

Major 5G standardizing organizations

As of 2019:

3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) - an alliance of seven organizations that develop various telecommunications standards, which, in turn, include other partners. The task of the 3GPP is to formulate technical requirements, evaluate proposals, and finally adopt standards. In mid-2017, the Release 15 version of the common standard was adopted, Release 16 is currently being developed, which will be adopted in 2019. In addition to developing the common architecture, 3GPP is also developing 5G New Radio (NR) radio technology standards for new frequency bands allocated under 5G.

ETSI (European Telecommunication Standard Institute), the European Telecommunication Standards Institute, which is a member of 3GPP and is most active in the development of 5G standards.

In addition to these, there are industry and regional organizations such as 5G Americas, Small Cell Forum, which also contribute greatly to the development and standardization of 5G solutions.

Major telecom operators such as AT&T, Verizon, and others also make a big contribution to the development of standards. They coordinate their work with ETSI and ITU, but sometimes they are ahead of these organizations. Therefore, the decisions of these operators often form the basis of the ETSI and ITU standards.

The purpose and purpose of 5G networks

Networks mobile communication previous generations had the following purposes and functionality:

• 1G: Voice over analog network services
• 2G: Digital voice services, low speed data services (GPRS, EDGE)
• 3G: High Speed \u200b\u200bData Services (HSPA), with Voice over IP, MBB (Mobile Broadband) mobile Internet access.
• : Mobile broadband access MBB based on LTE, LTE-A, voice transmission (VoLTE)

5G networks significantly expand the limited functionality of previous generations of mobile networks. The main functional features of 5G networks are as follows:

• EMBB enhanced mobile broadband
• Ultra Low Latency Reliable Communication (ULLRC)
• Massive machine-to-machine communications Massive IoT / IIoT, mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication)

On the basis of these three generalized types of functionality, the whole variety of services and capabilities of IMT2020 (5G) networks is built, the most characteristic of which are shown in the figure below:

Gigabytes per second. 5G networks have the potential to significantly increase data rates through various radio access technologies (RATs) and by leveraging the new 5G NR (New Radio) radio spectrum. The user gets almost unlimited bandwidth, both for home use of various services and for enterprise purposes (Immersive Telepresence, Industrial IoT, etc.)

Smart House. A whole range of various Internet of Things (IoT) services will be available for the Smart Home and Smart Building solutions: video surveillance, control and automation household appliances, management of security systems, content storage, climate control, etc.

New 4K / 8K video services: Surround video, ultra high definition (UHD) screen, possibility of presence effect.

Work in the cloud. The service makes it possible not only to store data in the cloud storage and retrieve it from there, but also to use applications that work directly from the cloud. Moreover, with the ability to use them on any device and from any location. In addition, it is possible to use APIs through which cloud service providers can provide their services to subscribers of the 5G network operator.

Urban video surveillance systems can be cited as an example of services for which 5G will have the advantage. 5G will help make them easier to deploy and use. Now traffic from thousands of cameras in cities is mainly transmitted over fixed networks. Deploying such an infrastructure is not an easy task as it requires a lot of wiring. With 5G, it will be possible to receive terabytes of high-definition video without using wires.

Another example is a service for monitoring transport in companies. Sanjeev Atali of Qualcomm believes that with the advent of next-generation networks, operators serving as providers of such a service can reduce its cost. This will be possible due to the fact that the cost of one 5G base station will be lower than the cost of stations for existing networks, as well as due to the fact that one base station will be able to simultaneously serve more devices, respectively, fewer base stations are required for the service.

The practical benefits of 5G

The 5G network platform offers significant benefits for operators, primarily in terms of enhanced network functionality and performance and increased user experience. The figure below shows the main parameters of the IMT2020 (5G) network, compared to the IMT-Advanced (4G) metrics that achieve this.

Burst Rate: 5G offers 20 times the speed of 4G, or about 20 Gbps.

Speed \u200b\u200bper user (average) in this case can reach 100 Mbps and more.

Spectrum efficiency, the amount of information that can be transmitted per unit of frequency range in a 5G network will be at least 3 times higher than in 4G.

User mobility, the speed at which a user with a 5G terminal can move across the network coverage area without losing handover between base stations reaches 500 km / h in the 5G network, which makes it possible to use 5G services on high-speed trains.

5G network latency is reduced to 1ms or less, while 4G can achieve a minimum of 10ms latency. This allows the use of 5G technology for critical communications and video surveillance, tactile Internet services, AR / VR, etc.

The density of terminals in a 5G network is increasing by an order of magnitude and can reach several million devices per sq. km, that is, several tens or even hundreds of miniature devices (for example, IoT sensors) can be located on 1 square meter of the surface.

The energy efficiency of a 5G network is orders of magnitude better than that of the previous generation.

Traffic capacity per unit area, i.e. data transfer rate square meter network coverage areas in 5G are two orders of magnitude higher than in a 4G network.

The figure below shows the importance ratios for the core 5G functionality (eMBB enhanced mobile broadband, ultra-reliable low latency communications, massive machine-to-machine communications) of the 5G network parameters shown in the previous figure.

Frequencies

As of 2019, 5G is expected to be used across a variety of radio frequency spectra. However, in the range up to 6 GHz, including the 5 GHz range allocated for Wi-Fi, there are still serious problems with the availability of free frequencies. Allocation of frequencies for 5G in the spectrum up to 6 GHz has already been agreed at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) in 2015. Higher frequency bands will be allocated at WRC-19 in 2019.

The use of low-frequency parts of the spectrum for 5G networks allows you to achieve optimal network coverage without massive investments in network infrastructure development.

Low frequencies provide good penetration of radio waves into rooms, which is very important for IoT. In particular, the 700 MHz band is important for M2M communication systems, "smart cities" and "smart homes". For particularly reliable connection of objects such as, for example, self-driving cars, robots, industrial automation, the 3.4-3.8 GHz bands can be used. It is assumed that in the 5G era, operators will be allocated continuous frequency bands of 300-400 MHz.

High-frequency spectrum is required for 5G networks to achieve data rates of up to 20 Gbps, in particular to provide 3D video services in UHD, AR / VR, cloud services for work and games, holographic communication, tactile internet, etc. In particular, the possibility of using the ranges 24.25-27.5 GHz and 37-43.5 GHz is being considered.

Allocation of new frequencies for 5G in Russia (source: NIIR, Union of LTE operators)

5G New Radio Technologies (5G NR)

In order to meet the ever-increasing demands for mobile communications, technologies have been developed for 5G under the umbrella name 5G New Radio, 5G New Radio (5G NR). Compared to the radio interface in 4G networks, 5G NR has several important advantages.

The development of 5G NR was carried out practically from scratch, taking into account the requirements for 5G networks and using the best technologies that will be available when 5G networks are fully deployed. Thus, 5G NR uses the latest modulation, waveforms and RAT (Radio Access Technology) technologies, which, among other things, will provide high data rates and lengthen the battery life of 5G consumer devices.

Basic requirements of the 3GPP standard. Source: ITU, Nokia, Qualcomm

The preliminary requirements for 5G NR technology appeared in 3GPP Release 15, approved in December 2017, and the final version is expected to be approved in December 2019.

The main distinguishing features of 5G NR radio technology are as follows:

Adding new bands of the radio spectrum, according to the signal rate requirements, the number of devices, the traffic growth of numerous 5G applications. The new 5G NR bands range from 2.5 to 40 GHz. Discussions are ongoing on the use of spectrum up to 100 GHz.

Optimized OFDM technology (Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing - orthogonal frequency division multiplexing). This technology has already been successfully applied in 4G / LTE-A as well as in recent Wi-Fi versions.

Beamforming... It is a technology that has only moved from concept to implementation in recent years and is capable of realizing many of the benefits of 5G. Beamforming makes it possible to direct a beam of radio waves from a base station to specific devices, both moving and stationary, without affecting other beams aimed at the same devices.

MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)... MIMO - A signal spatial coding technique that allows to increase the channel bandwidth, which was already used in Wi-Fi and 4G, in 5G has been significantly improved, in particular in the multi-user mode MU-MIMO (Multi-User-MIMO) in 5G base stations gNnodeB (gNB), whose antennas consist of a matrix of radiating elements. This makes it possible to enhance the signal level for a particular user, while at the same time minimizing the effect of this signal on other users.

Spectrum sharing technologies... Many RF spectra, appropriately allocated, are often not used efficiently. To solve this problem, Spectrum sharing technologies were developed.

Unified design across frequencies... Since 5G NR has added many new frequency bands, it is important to provide an interoperability interface when a channel transitions from one frequency to another when handover between base stations.

Small cells... Densification of network coverage leads to the fact that the number of base stations must increase. Therefore, the Small Cells solution was proposed - a solution for low-cost, easy-to-install and maintain low-power base stations. They can be hung on street lighting masts, on the walls of houses and other objects. The 5G network is able to effectively coordinate their work, redistributing the load between antennas.

Distributed DAS antenna systems and a single base station serving the entire building

Several telecom operators can use a single infrastructure of base stations and DAS simultaneously.

5G Core Network Architecture

The peculiarity of the 5G network architecture is that the traditional concept of "network architecture" based on hardware solutions is losing its relevance in the 5G network.

Therefore, 5G is more often called not a network, but a system, or "platform", which means a software platform, not a hardware one. If 1/2/3 / 4G networks were built on the basis of hardware solutions (equipment), then the 5G platform is built on the basis of software solutions, in particular, software-defined networks SDN (Software Defined Network), as well as virtualization of network functions NFV (Network Function Virtualization).

5G functions are implemented in virtual software functions VNF (Virtual Network Function), which run on the NFV infrastructure. The difference between these similar-sounding concepts is that VNF \u200b\u200bis a feature and NFV is a technology. In turn, NFV is implemented in the physical infrastructure of data centers (data center, DC, data processing center, data center), based on standard commercial equipment COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf). COTS equipment includes only three types of standard, relatively inexpensive devices - server (computing device), switch (network device) and storage system (storage device).

Until recently, there were four generations of mobile communications ... Currently, operators, with the support of equipment suppliers (vendors), are actively testing the capabilities of fifth-generation networks, which are expected to flourish commercially by 2020. The explanation is quite simple: there is a so-called ten-year rule. If you look a little into the past, you will notice that each new generation of mobile communications appeared about 10 years after the appearance of the previous one: the first generation appeared in the early 80s, the second in the early 90s, the third in the early 00s, the fourth in 2009 year. The conclusion is that commercial 5G networks will begin to fill the world in 2020.

The fifth generation (5G) mobile communication standard is a new stage in the development of technology, which is intended to expand the possibilities of accessing the Internet through radio access networks.

The standardization of mobile communication networks of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generations is carried out by the partner project for the standardization of 3rd generation systems (3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP).

In 2017, 3GPP officially announced that 5G would become the official name for the next generation of mobile communications and introduced a new official logo communication standard.

Tasks that 5G technology is designed to solve:

• growth of mobile traffic
• an increase in the number of devices connected to the network
• reducing delays for the implementation of new services
• lack of frequency spectrum

5G services

1. Ultra-broadband mobile communications (Extreme Mobile Broadband, eMBB) - the implementation of ultra-broadband communications for the transmission of "heavy" content;
2. Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) - support for the Internet of Things (ultra-narrowband);
3. Ultra-Reliable Low Latency communication (URLLC) - providing a special class of service with very low latency.

For more details on services in 5G networks, follow the link.

Obviously, there will be many more devices connected to the network in the future, most of which will operate on a "always online" basis. In this case, their low power consumption will be a very important parameter.

Requirements for 5G networks

1. Network bandwidth up to 20 Gbps downlink (ie to the subscriber); and up to 10 Gbps in the opposite direction.
   
2. Supports simultaneous connection of up to 1 million devices / km 2.
3. Reducing the time delay on the radio interface to 0.5 ms (for Ultra Reliable Machine-to-Machine Communication URLLC services) and up to 4 ms (for Ultra-Mobile Broadband eMBB services).

Other technical requirements for 5G networks are discussed in this article.

Potential technologies in the standard5G

1) Massive MIMO

MIMO technology means using multiple antennas on transceivers. The technology, which has been successfully applied in fourth-generation networks, will also find application in 5G networks. At the same time, if at present MIMO 2x2 and 4x4 are used in networks, then in the future the number of antennas will increase. This technology has two weighty arguments at once: 1) the data transfer rate increases almost in proportion to the number of antennas, 2) the signal quality improves when the signal is received by several antennas at once due to the diversity of reception (Receive Diversity).

2) Transition to centimeter and millimeter ranges

Currently, LTE networks operate in frequency bands below 3.5 GHz. For the full functioning of 5G mobile networks, it is necessary to deploy networks in freer high-frequency bands.With an increase in the frequency at which information is transmitted, the communication range decreases. This is a law of physics, it can be circumvented only by increasing the transmitter power, which is limited by sanitary standards. However, it is believed that the base stations of fifth generation networks will be located more densely than they are now, due to the need to create a much larger network capacity. The advantage of the tens of GHz bands is the large amount of free spectrum.

The issues of frequency spectrum allocation in 5G are discussed in more detail in the following articles:

• Frequencies for 5G. Advantages and disadvantages of using frequencies below 6GHz and above 6GHz

• 5G networks: current state and development prospects. Interview with the author of the book "Mobile communications on the way to 6G" Anton Steputin

3) Multi-technology

To provide high-quality service in 5G networks, it is necessary to support both existing standards, such as UMTS, GSM, LTE, and others, for example, Wi-Fi. Base stations using Wi-Fi technology can be used to offload traffic in particularly busy places.

Device-to-device technology allows devices located close to each other to exchange data directly, without the participation of a 5G network, through the core of which only signaling traffic will pass. The advantage of this technology is the ability to transfer data transmission to the unlicensed part of the spectrum, which will further relieve the network.

5) New radio interface in 5G networks and other innovations read in article What will 5G mobile networks be like?

For more information on technical requirements for 5G networks, options for radio interfaces, services and other innovations in next-generation mobile networks, read the book "Mobile communications on the road to 6G ".

For several decades, information technology has been in a state of rapid development. What seemed inconceivable yesterday is now perceived as a familiar routine. New Internet networks are capable of transmitting incredible amounts of information over vast distances in a matter of seconds.

And this is far from the limit of the technological potential of this area. Soon enough, the citizens of our country will have access to a truly revolutionary novelty - 5G Internet. Such an information network will make it possible to make a big step forward in introducing new technologies into the everyday life of ordinary people.

On the eve of the main sporting event of 2018 in four cities Russian Federation in test mode, a high-speed 5G mobile Internet network will be launched. This news was shared by representatives of the main domestic operators cellular communication at a press conference timed to discuss the future.

At the beginning of 2018, the deployment of four test zones with support for the maximum data transfer rate will begin in St. Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi and Moscow. With the start of football events, these networks should be fully operational.

What is 5G technology

As experts note, 5G is currently considered the most promising standard not only in Russia, but throughout the world. With its help, the data transfer speed can be "overclocked" up to several gigabytes per second, which was considered almost impossible a few years ago.

Representatives of the Megafon company (one of the project implementers) have already conducted the first preliminary tests of the new technology. An experiment this year showed the ability to increase data transfer rates up to 5 Gbps.

In addition, the transition to such a standard allows you to significantly increase the number of subscribers in the network, improve the quality of communication and even reduce the loss of energy in the battery of a mobile device.

The 5G network is a completely new, multiply improved technology for transferring traffic between the customers of a telecom operator. With its help, you can download to your mobile device a file that would have been downloaded for hours before.

But, despite a number of advantages, this technology cannot be made publicly available until 2020. This delay was provoked by the great complexity of the network launch, as well as by the vastness of the territory of our country, which cannot be covered in a short time.

Why are such speeds needed

The question of the relevance of high speeds of Internet data transmission and the practical necessity of such technologies is raised quite often. A completely similar situation was with the emergence of 4G technology and the first attempts to make it available to the public.

Then the possibility of downloading an information product from the world wide web at a speed of 50 megabits per second seemed incredible. Today, for most people, such a speed is quite common and has not seemed excessively high for a long time.

Internet users have long discovered an interesting relationship: the better the communication capabilities, the higher the quality of the content produced. Site visitors increasingly prefer high-resolution video to reading and static images.

This is an unstoppable process of content evolution where high data rates are essential. 5G technology will be able to fully meet the needs of users for traffic migration, in addition, such a network offers large capacities and a uniquely short response time.

What are the prospects for 5G technology in Russia

Today, the 5G communication standard is in development and initial experimentation. But it is assumed that by the beginning it will already begin to appear in the largest cities of our state. These will not be just test single cases, but the first stage towards systematization and development with further distribution in all settlements.

Every day in the engineering departments of cellular companies there are many tests of various technological solutions that can be placed at the heart of the future global network. Fifth generation speed tests are underway with excellent results.

Such trends make it possible to judge the great achievements of domestic information technologies and the acquisition of unique experience to start building a network infrastructure.

The introduction of 5G networks is, first of all, a large increase in the total volume of transmitted information through an increase in transmission speeds and a reduction in the waiting time for responses. Unfortunately, this is practically impossible without significant improvements to the infrastructure that mobile operators are using at this point in time.

This process is quite costly and requires huge cash infusions, but if the investment portfolio is broken down over a significant period, then the situation ceases to seem critical.

Experts have no doubt that new horizons that will open up for the economy after the introduction of 5G will quickly recoup all costs and bring good dividends. Thus, the mobile operator will receive additional cash receipts, users will receive a quality service, and the state will be able to reach a new level of its development.

AT&T, Verizon Wireless and other telecommunications companies will begin rolling out 5G networks this year. But what exactly is 5G? In this article, we will share with you everything that we know at the moment.

5G will launch later this year. Well, or not. In the race for 5G (in other words, this is the fifth generation of mobile communications), TV companies promise the impossible, which will cause a lot of confusion over the next several years.

Since there is no official definition of 5G yet, all players in the wireless market, from chipset makers to cellular operators, are becoming sophisticated in defining 5G and claiming to be the 5G leader.

5G What Is It? All About New Generation Communication

Let's clear up this confusion. In this article we will try to explain what this 5G is all about.

Communication generations 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G

The letter G in 5G stands for a generation of wireless technology. All generations are technically different in data transmission speed, as well as in data encryption methods, or "air interface", which makes the technology incompatible with the previous generation.

1G is analog cellular. 2G technologies such as CDMA, GSM and TDMA are the first generation of digital cellular technologies. 3G technologies such as EVDO, HSPA and UMTS provide data transfer rates from 200 kilobytes to several megabits per second. 4G WiMAX and LTE technologies are the next leap forward. The data transfer rate of fourth-generation communications reaches hundreds of megabits, or even gigabits per second.

AT&T's so-called "5G Evolution" is not really 5G

AT&T recently announced the launch of its 5G Evolution network, which is not really a true 5G network. In fact, it is the commercial name for Gigabit LTE - the newest upgrade to LTE 4G technology. Most of the operators in the United States are going to actively implement LTE this year.

Gigabit LTE technology is compatible with existing phones. The technology uses an improved version of the existing LTE encryption, as well as more antennas and an increased degree of carrier aggregation, which allows for faster data transmission.

However, AT&T, along with the spread of false rumors about 5G, insists that LTE will not soon disappear into oblivion. By and large, 5G will operate at very high frequencies, which requires towers and antennas to be positioned relatively close to each other. For a larger coverage area, especially in countryside, 5G will be based on 4G.

4G technologies will also improve over time. Qualcomm has announced the release of the 4G modem X20, which is capable of transmitting data at 1.2 gigabits. A significant advantage of 5G technology will be high power and low latency. 5G will become much more powerful and faster than 4G technologies.

Pre-launch 5G network from AT&T and Verizon

AT&T and Verizon have announced the launch of a 5G home Internet system. Samsung and Verizon jointly unveiled antennas and routers at Mobile World Congress in February that will use Verizon's 5G service.

The technologies used to develop the 5G home network relate to the millimeter-wave fixed wireless access used by Internet service providers Starry in Boston and Monkeybrains in San Francisco. However, thanks to AT&T and Verizon, these technologies will become much more widespread. For example, AT&T has announced the potential use of 5G as a replacement for outdated DSL technologies, allowing the company to single-handedly provide 5G home Internet, wireless and landline telephony, and television services.

But none of this has anything to do with 5G, as the fifth generation will only launch in 2018. But Verizon intends to bring its 5G services closer to current standards, and is also using as many elements of the upcoming 5G systems as possible.

Home 5G internet demonstrates one major advantage over 4G - the sheer power. Operators cannot offer 4G home Internet at a competitive price for 190GB of monthly traffic consumption for one home, because 4G communication nodes do not have enough capacity. This could significantly increase the competition between providers for the home Internet of US residents, where, according to the report Federal Service According to the 2016 Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media Supervision Authority, 51 percent of Americans have home Internet speeds of 25MB per second or faster.

For the providers themselves, connecting home 5G Internet will be much easier than the fiber-optic communication lines that stretch from house to house. Instead of digging up every street, the provider just needs to connect fiber optic cable to the communication center, and distribute wireless modems to users.

Okay, so what is "true 5G" then?

5G is an innovative network that offers much higher transmission speed and power and lower time delays than other existing cellular systems. The credible technologies used in the development of 5G remain to be seen, but many well-known details are already known.

The type of encryption for 5G networks, called OFDM, is similar to the type of encryption used in LTE technologies. The air interface will have lower latency and more flexibility than LTE.

Innovative networks will mainly use very high frequencies that are capable of transmitting a huge amount of data, but only a few blocks at a time. The technology will operate in the low to high frequency spectrum, but the significant advantage over 4G will be most evident at high frequencies. 5G can also transmit data on the unlicensed frequencies that Wi-Fi currently uses, without conflict with existing Wi-Fi networks. This data transfer is similar to the LTE-U technology launched by T-Mobile this year.

5G is more likely to be a small cell network, down to the size of home routers, rather than the size of huge towers that spread the signal over long distances. In a way, this is due to the nature of the frequencies involved, but the main goal remains to increase the power of the network itself.

5G networks need to be more advanced than previous systems as they are connected to a huge number of smaller cells. Even with the existence of macro cells, Qualcomm says 5G networks will be up to four times more powerful than other networks, thanks to the use of a wider frequency range and improved antennas.

The goal is to achieve much higher speeds and more power with less latency than 4G networks. The standardization measures involved see it as their goal to achieve a speed of 20 gigabits per second and a latency of 1 millisecond. And this, you see, is very interesting.

What is the 5G network for: phones, cars or homes?

Self-driving cars will be able to use 5G for quick activation. The first generation of self-driving cars will be autonomous, but future generations will interact with other vehicles and smart roads to improve safety and control traffic flow. Simply put, on the road, all participants will interact with each other.

What is the 5G network for: phones, cars or homes?

For this to be possible, communication must be provided with minimal time delays. Since machines exchange a fairly small amount of information, it is necessary that the transfer occurs almost instantaneously. It is here in the arena that 5G comes in with a 1 millisecond delay. With the help of this network, two cars can quickly exchange information, as well as transfer information from one car to another through small cells on a light tower.

(Note: one light millisecond equals 186 miles, so most of that 1 millisecond is processing time)

Another distinctive feature of 5G is that many more devices can connect to this network. At the moment, 4G modules are expensive, consume a lot of power and require complex maintenance schemes. For this reason, most devices requiring an Internet connection continue to interoperate with either Wi-Fi and other home technologies for ordinary users, or 2G networks for business. Small, inexpensive, energy-efficient devices will be able to connect to 5G networks. Thus, 5G networks will provide internet access for small devices and many other types of sensors.

What about phones? The most significant changes 5G can bring to the field of virtual and augmented reality. As phones evolve into virtual reality headsets, 5G's very low time investment and consistent speed can provide you with access to the virtual reality world whenever and wherever you want. With its small cells, 5G could help expand indoor coverage, as this technology assumes the home router will become a separate hub.

When to expect 5G?

Preliminary 5G from AT&T and Verizon will launch this year, however, the official launch of 5G is planned for 2018 and widespread in 2019. The schedule was originally planned for 2019-2020, however, providers and equipment manufacturers have developed an accelerated schedule.

This is due to the presentation of a new line of 5G modems from Qualcomm. One of the largest chipmakers says the new Snapdragon mobile platform will support 5G as early as 2019. Snapdragon chips are the most popular smartphone platforms in the US, so the world will likely see VR and 5G smartphones as early as 2019.