5G Document Folder

29 | 5G Infrastructure Enables New and Radical Applications By M. Tim Jones for Mouser Electronics Not only will the new Fifth- Generation (5G) wireless infrastructure open the door to new applications, but it will greatly improve the applications that exist today for 4G and earlier wireless generations. With the 5G network's enhanced performance, communication will be faster, with improved interactivity resulting from a significantly lower latency. That's great for the consumer experience as well as for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. 5G will include three classes of services, all delivered through a single mobile network: • Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). Content and service access by humans • Massive machine-type communications (mMTC). Data exchange between low- power devices with relaxed levels of service • Ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). Data exchange between devices with strict levels of service This article explores how 5G enhancements will improve existing applications and create a platform for even more innovative applications. 5G Wireless and Applications 5G communication is a means to an end (it's about communication between devices), but it's a true enabling technology that improves existing applications. Let's explore what the 5G wireless network means for both existing applications and emerging ones. Internet Enablement The earliest and largest implementation of the 5G network will focus on bringing Internet connectivity to consumer smartphones and tablets. With the speed and low latency of 5G wireless connectivity, consumers will also see 5G connectivity as the conduit to Internet access not just for consumer devices but also for homes (fixed wireless access). Technology such as beamforming (which can focus a signal as a beam that points toward a user rather than broadcasting in all directions) will improve the integrity of the user's signal while minimizing signal interference to other users. Virtual and Augmented Reality In virtual reality (VR), a headset constructs a synthetic (computer- generated) world with which a user can interact. The VR headset includes real-time head tracking that enables the view of the world to change based on the user's control. Augmented reality (AR) does not construct a synthetic world; instead, it overlays synthetic objects onto a user's view of the real world using either a headset or smartphone. Both technologies will benefit from the advanced capacity of a 5G network: 5G speed will support construction and transmission of a synthetic world from a remote cloud (called cloud rendering) to a VR device. 5G low-latency communication will permit a quick response to head movements, rendering only what's necessary for a user's current view of the world. The Internet of Things The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to an Internet connectivity to everyday objects (e.g., dishwashers, doorbells). The speed and capacity available with 5G will lead to an explosion of new IoT devices and services, but not until the cost is reduced. In part, this expansion will be the outcome of the 5G network's ability to connect to a large number of devices in a small area (i.e., a million endpoint devices in a square meter area). One way 5G may support communication to a large number of devices in an area is through what's called multiple- input, multiple-output (MIMO). MIMO M. Tim Jones is a veteran embedded firmware architect with over 30 years of architecture and development experience. Tim is the author of several books and many articles across the spectrum of software and firmware developments. His engineering background ranges from the development of kernels for geosynchronous spacecraft to embedded systems architectures and protocol developments. [ C O N T ' D O N P A G E 3 1 ]

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