Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1315957
11 | Introduction to 5G By Mustafa Ergen for Mouser Electronics The 5G mobile communications standard is designed to fulfill several performance and use case requirements currently not possible in 4G networks, including: • Enhanced broadband that brings fiber-optic speeds and bandwidth to over-the-air (OTA) connections • Low latencies and extreme reliability for real- time OTA process control • Much higher device densities that will enable the massive Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity that is anticipated in smart cities • More energy efficiency to meet the increasing demand for low-power connectivity • High-speed adaptability for high-speed mobile applications • On-demand network scalability to meet the requirements of many industrial use cases Specifications outlined in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP ™ ) Release 15 provide details for 5G New Radio (NR), which addresses the 5G air interface, and 5G Core, which deals with network functions. Both 5G NR and 5G Core are required to meet 5G performance expectations. This article looks at how 5G differs from 4G with respect to its performance, radio access technology, and network core functions. It further reviews how 5G specifications make new applications possible and how the 5G standard impacts component designs. How Does 5G Differ from 4G? Table 1 lays out some of the key performance differences between 4G and 5G specifications. Meeting 5G's performance expectations requires additional spectrum as well as different waveforms and a flexible framework that allows service multiplexing and more dynamic multiple access capabilities. 5G meets these requirements through a new approach to scalable waveforms that works across a range of frequencies, creating an entirely new approach to session and network management. 5G NR Increases Flexibility and Reduces Overhead 5G NR applies a common waveform framework that scales across a range of bandwidths. Several techniques contribute to 5G's spectrum efficiency, flexibility, and reduced power consumption. Key differences between 5G NR and 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) include: • Scalable orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (ODFM) numerology. ODFM is a widely used waveform for encoding digital communications. Its waveform numerology defines the structure and timing of information resources that the waveform carries, such as the number of subcarriers and the subcarrier spacing. Both 4G LTE and 5G NR use ODFM, but there are big differences. In 4G LTE, the numerology is always fixed; in 5G NR, the numerology is scalable for optimization in different bandwidths. This means that the subcarrier size and spacing are scalable to fit bandwidths that different frequencies provide. It also enables scalable TTI, which makes it possible to adjust latencies from very low for short-duration transmissions to longer latencies that make transmitting large data packets more efficient. Scalable ODFM numerology is the heart of 5G's scalability and flexibility. • Self-contained subframes. Introduced in the 5G NR specification, these structures enable the inclusion of data along with their transmission acknowledgments in the same subframe, further reducing latencies. They also enable the Mustafa Ergen is founder of venture funded startup Ambeent Inc., a company focused on 5G Wi-Fi, and he serves as professor at Istanbul Technical University. Previously, Mustafa co-founded Silicon Valley startup WiChorus, Inc., a com- pany focused on 4G technologies; this company was eventually acquired by Tellabs for $200 million.