5G and Data Rate

Much confusion exists

Major Pieces of 5G

• Minor protocol changes to

– Reduce latency in some cases

– Reduce power consumption in some cases

• Increase spectral access for more bandwidth

– Find spectrum in the 2-6 GHz region

– Utilize unused spectrum in the 20 – 40 GHz region

• Take advantage of phased array capabilities that are more effective with shorter wavelengths

Some Quotes

• “The spectrum really is worthless without 5G,” said Jonathan Chaplin, an analyst at New Street Research. Technology that makes signals more precise has changed the equation, he added, making the spectrum “much more valuable.”

The FCC plans to launch three more auctions next year to encourage the use of “millimeter wave” spectrum, so called because its wavelengths are so close together they are measured in millimeters. Such high frequencies allow new radio equipment to squeeze massive amounts of information into a small beam, allowing companies to provide broadband service over the air that is as fast as fiber-optic cable.

“This isn’t spectrum that goes very far,” said AT&T Inc. technology chief Andre Fuetsch. “However, this spectrum, because it’s so much higher in frequency, enables much higher speeds.”

Usage Scenarios

• [eMBB] Enhanced Mobile Broadband

– Higher throughput with more bandwidth & possibly SNR

• [URLCC] Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications

– Enable shorter packets

• [mMTC] Massive Machine-Type Communications

– Subdivided symbols for multiple low data devices

– Controlled sleep modes for less power consumption

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5G

[eMBB] Enhanced Mobile Broadband

[URLCC] Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications

[mMTC] Massive Machine-Type Communications

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5G

FR1: < 6 GHz FR2: > 24 GHz

There are only 5 companies in the world offering 5G radio hardware and complete systems: Huawei, ZTE, Nokia, Samsung, and Ericsson.

Huawei, and its crosstown rival ZTE Corp. have put forth vastly more proposals—and are among the biggest owners of key patents—underpinning the coming wave of 5G technology. That is in contrast to Western firms, which played a comparatively smaller role in the blueprint and design of 5G than in previous generations of wireless technology.

WSJ Feb 26, 2019

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5G

[Huawei] as of early February owned 1,529 “standard-essential” 5G patents, the most of any company. . . . companies from China own 36% of all 5G standard-essential patents, more than double their share of comparable 4G patents, according to data-analytics firm IPlytics.

U.S. firms, by contrast, including Qualcomm Inc. and Intel Corp. hold just 14% of critical 5G patents, according to IPlytics. Huawei’s clout in 5G sets it apart from previous generations of wireless networks, which saw significantly fewer contributions from Chinese mobile companies compared with U.S. and European firms.

Frequency Band Type

600 MHz (2 x 35 MHz Bands) Licensed

2.5 GHz Licensed (Existing LTE Band 41)

3.55 - 3.7 GHz Unlicensed

3.7 GHz - 4.2 GHz Licensed

5.9 - 7.1 GHz Unlicensed

24.25 - 24.45 GHz Licensed

24.75 - 25.25 GHz Licensed

27.5 - 28.35 GHz Licensed

37 - 38.6 GHz Licensed Outdoors, Unlicensed Indoors

38.6 - 40 GHz Licensed

47.2 - 48.3 GHz -

64 - 71 GHz Unlicensed

5G Spectrum Allocations in the United States

The FCC has been very active in working towards freeing up frequency spectrum

for 5G. In July 2016, they opened up 11 GHz of spectrum i.e. 64 - 71 GHz and

some spectrum in the 3.85 GHz. In 2017, they opened up another 1.7 GHz of

spectrum in the 24 GHz and 47 GHz bands.

https://www.everythingrf.com/community/5g-spectrum-allocation-in-united-states

Recommendation ITU-R P.676-9 (02/2012)

Attenuation by atmospheric gases

https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460644/How-5G-reduces-data-transmission-latency-

How 5G Reduces Data Transmission Latency

https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460346/5G--The-road-to-low-latency

How to achieve lower latency

Ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) is one of three primary 5G use cases and is achieved partially through mini-slots. In LTE, transmissions adhered to the standard slot boundaries, but they are not optimized for minimal latency. A standard slot has 14 OFDM symbols shown in dark blue in figure 3. As the subcarrier spacing increases, the slot duration decreases as shown in light blue. A mini-slot is shorter in duration than a standard slot and can be located anywhere within the slot. A mini-slot can be 2, 4, or 7 OFDM symbols long. Mini-slots can provide low latency payloads with an immediate start time without needing to wait for the start of a slot boundary.

Benefits from MIMO

https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460346/5G--The-road-to-low-latency

5G and autonomous vehicles might not go hand-in-hand

https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4461460/5G-and-autonomous-vehicles-might-not-go-hand-in-hand

Supporting AVs was going to be a major use case, and that use case was going to help wireless network companies monetize their networks, but AVs won’t be around for years. That’s a chicken-and-egg situation. But now that auto makers are questioning whether they even need 5G, or how badly they need it, it’s possible the chicken-and-egg situation might be mooted entirely.

From the Washington Post

Furthermore, we’re laying the foundation for 5G with 5G Evolution and LTE-LAA. 5G Evolution is the term AT&T uses for locations where we’ve upgraded cell towers with LTE Advanced features like 256 QAM, 4×4 MIMO, and 3-way carrier aggregation. LTE-LAA is technology where we are able to utilize unlicensed spectrum along with licensed spectrum. These technologies serve as the runway to 5G by boosting the existing LTE network and priming it for the future of connectivity. We can enable faster speeds now, and upgrade to the 5G experience when it’s ready.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/wp/2018/12/14/the-dawn-of-the-5g-world/?utm_term=.bbb0e06c6663

Schedule are slipping

5G networks, as such, still barely exist. T-Mobile has decided to wait until 2020. In mid-2018, Verizon started installing non-standard 5G equipment it’s going to have to either upgrade or perhaps even replace entirely (moving forward its 5G deployments will conform to standards), in order to provide fixed wireless broadband. AT&T originally was going to start with fixed wireless broadband also, but decided against it because the business model wasn’t working out, which inevitably undermined Verizon. At the end of 2018, AT&T turned on a 4G mobile telephony service augmented with 5G technologies, an approach it’s been calling 5G Evolution (5G E for short), which many people pointed out – accurately – isn’t 5G. Earlier this week, Verizon complained about misleading 5G hype, T-Mobile piled on calling out AT&T by name, and the three continued sniping at each other for a bit.

https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4461460/5G-and-autonomous-vehicles-might-not-go-hand-in-hand