H on cellular. What are the main highlights waiting for us? Why do we need such speeds

The largest Russian telecom operators plan to launch fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In addition, not so long ago it became known that the Leningrad region officially, in which the coverage test of this very cellular network. In this regard, the site figured out how this "beast" works and why (and most importantly, to whom) it is needed at all.

Is 5G the next telecommunications breakthrough?

Generations cellular communication are replaced every 10 years. This is due to the need for continuous development of telecommunications in developed countries. Each new generation seriously increases the speed of data transfer, so end users (you and me) feel the changes on themselves and their smartphones, getting easier and more relaxed access to new entertainment and network services.

The fifth generation of mobile networks - 5G - promises to be especially disruptive. Experts boldly say that it is thanks to this “telecommunications breakthrough” that things from the future, such as unmanned vehicles and virtual reality, will finally be able to enter our world. everyday life.

So what is 5G? Main characteristics

5G (5th generation) is the fifth generation of technology mobile communications with a huge data transfer rate - several gigabits per second. For comparison, now in Russia, most users use the Internet ten times slower. In Sweden, when testing 5G networks, they set another record - 15 Gb / s. This is 40 times faster than current wireless networks, can you imagine?

Another significant feature of 5G to be proud of is the reduction of signal delay to one millisecond (ms) - versus 10ms in 4G networks and 100ms in 3G networks. This means that everything will become really VERY fast, and the “lags” and “freezes” familiar to many users will become a thing of the past. In everyday language for "techies", the Internet will "fly".

Network evolution. Chart habrahabr.ru

Why 5G for ordinary users?

We are with you, like any other ordinary network users, on this moment can safely do without the gigantic speeds that the new generation will provide. But with the introduction of new technologies, there will also be a need to increase speed.

It is easy to see that as we accelerate mobile internet new formats of user-generated content are born - for example, video-based communication applications, which require large resources from the network, are now insanely popular among young people. An example of such applications is Snapchat with its video masks, which took off in the West largely due to the evolution of cellular networks.

5G, in turn, may well please ordinary users with unprecedented video quality and open the door to virtual reality entertainment.

But since the Internet today exists not only for banal entertainment and communication, the introduction of 5G will have a huge impact on many other important areas life.

Table: rb.ru

Most analysts are convinced that the widespread adoption of 5G will begin after 2020.

For several decades, information technology has been in a state of rapid development. What yesterday seemed unthinkable, today is already perceived as a habitual routine. New Internet networks are capable of transmitting incredible amounts of information over vast distances in a matter of moments.

And this is far from the limit of the technological potential of this sphere. Soon enough, a truly revolutionary novelty will become available to the citizens of our country - 5G Internet. Such information network will take a big step forward in introducing new technologies into the daily lives of ordinary people.

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

At the beginning of 2018, four test zones will begin to be deployed in St. Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi and Moscow with support for top speed transmission of information data. With the start of football events, these networks should switch to their full capacity.

What is 5G technology

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

Representatives of Megafon (one of the project implementers) have already conducted the first preliminary tests new technology. An experiment conducted this year showed the possibility of increasing the data transfer rate 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 battery power in a mobile device.

The 5G network is a completely new, many times improved technology for transferring traffic between the clients of a telecom operator. With its help, you can download a file to your mobile device in a matter of seconds, which would have previously taken hours to download.

But, despite a number of advantages, this technology can be made public property not earlier than 2020. Such a delay was provoked by the great complexity of launching the network, as well as the vastness of the territory of our country, which cannot be covered in a short time.

Why do we need such speeds

The question of the relevance of high Internet data transfer rates and the practical need for 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 download option information product from a worldwide network with a speed of up to 50 megabits per second seemed incredible. Today, for most people, this speed is quite ordinary and has not seemed excessively high for a long time.

Internet users have long discovered an interesting relationship: the better the ability to transfer information, the higher the quality of the content produced. Website visitors increasingly prefer high-resolution videos to reading and static images.

This is an unstoppable process of content evolution, where high data rates become necessary. 5G technology can fully meet the needs of users in traffic migration, in addition, such a network assumes large capacities and is unique a short time response.

What are the prospects for 5G technology in Russia

To date, the 5G communication standard is at the stage of development and initial experiments. 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 isolated cases, but the first stage towards systematization and development with further distribution to all settlements.

Every day in the engineering departments of cellular companies there is a lot of testing of various technological solutions, which can be placed in the basis of future global network. Tests of speed capabilities for the fifth generation are being carried out with brilliant results.

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

The introduction of 5G networks is, first of all, a large increase in the total amount of transmitted information through an increase in transmission speeds and a reduction in response time. Unfortunately, this is practically impossible without a significant improvement in the infrastructure that mobile operators use at this point in time.

This process is quite costly and requires huge cash injections, but if the investment portfolio is divided into a significant period, then the situation ceases to seem critical.

Experts have no doubt that the new horizons that will open up for the economy after the introduction of 5G will quickly pay off all costs and bring good dividends. Thus, 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.

Today, telecommunications companies around the world are actively building networks of the third (3G) and fourth generation (4G). At the same time, smartphone manufacturers are already closely studying the next generation mobile communication standard - 5G - which is planned to be introduced in 2020. Today, we are increasingly hearing information that is more or less related to fifth generation technology. Let's see what this popular "5G" is.

What is 5G?

5G is the fifth generation of wireless technologies. Compared to 3G and 4G, this standard provides more simultaneous connections supported by the mobile network. In addition to increased capacity, 5G users will benefit from faster network speeds and lower latency compared to the 4G standard.

What is the difference between mobile networks of different generations?

The first generation mobile networks, 1G, allowed users to make calls from their cordless phones.

Then came 2G networks, which made it possible to send mobile phones text messages, and they were replaced by 3G networks, which ensured the operation of the mobile Internet.

With the advent of 4G technology, users have received a significant increase in data transfer speed, which allowed them to download large files, as well as transmit and receive streaming video with minimal delays and in high quality.

What are the benefits of the 5G standard?

This technology goes far beyond mobile Internet connections. The wide bandwidth offered by 5G networks will allow up to a million connections per square kilometer of covered area. And this means that the data mobile networks will be able to seamlessly connect smart cities and IoT-enabled devices.

Unlike subscribers to 3G or 4G services, 5G users will have no difficulty connecting to a mobile provider's network while in crowded places - in particular, at crowded open-air concert venues.

The data transfer rate in the 5G network, according to experts, should be 20 times higher than the data transfer rate in existing 4G networks. Calculations show that 5G users will be able to download a full-length movie recorded in high definition in just one second. In addition, 5G network latency is also expected to be ultra-low, less than 1 millisecond. Latency in existing 4G networks is 10 milliseconds. Delay time refers to the time required to transfer a data packet from one point to another.

Ultra-low latency also means that modern applications such as self-propelled vehicles– will be able to work with 5G networks clearly and without problems. Low latency will also help drive VR and AR penetration soaring, as users won't experience lag when streaming high-definition video or running VR and AR programs online.

Who sets the standards for 5G?

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU or ITU), which is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), is responsible for setting standards for 5G technology. The standardization of the technology follows the same pattern as the standards for 3G and 4G technologies were formed.

The ITU is assisted in research related to setting standards for 5G by industry bodies such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) consortium and the industry association GSM Association (GSMA).

The 3GPP consortium is responsible for cooperation between groups of telecommunications associations from Asia, Europe and North America. It produces reports, studies and technical documentation in three areas: radio access networks, service and systems issues, and core networks and terminals.

The GSMA represents the interests of 800 mobile network operators and 300 companies that make up the mobile ecosystem, in particular, manufacturers mobile devices, development companies software and telecommunications equipment suppliers.

When will commercial use of 5G start?

The start of providing 5G network services to commercial users is scheduled for 2020. However, in South Korea they intend to launch a commercial 5G network already on the eve of the Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in 2018 in the city of Pyeongchang.

Which countries are leading the development and deployment of 5G?

China, Japan and South Korea are already leading the world in testing and developing mobile technologies related to 5G. These countries already have high level adoption of 4G, and government programs to support the development of 5G enable them to stay ahead of North America and Europe.

In China state companies China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have already begun testing 5G-compatible equipment. Huawei Technologies and ZTE, the country's two largest telecommunications equipment companies, are industry leaders in building the infrastructure needed for 5G.

Europe and North America are lagging behind Asia in terms of 5G development due to economic uncertainty and slower development of 4G networks in their markets. However, this does not prevent them from conducting field tests in closed test laboratories.

Any carrier offering 5G is lying to you.

Some cell operators claim they already offer 5G. This is a blatant lie. This is actually just a faster and better version of existing 4G LTE technologies.

For each "G", the mobile world (manufacturers, carriers, operators, etc.) must agree on a set of specifications. The agency that defines these standards is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations body. And finally, at the end, a number of specifications came out proving that the claims of "5G" carriers are fictitious.

"5G Evolution" does not meet these specifications, and does not meet the 5G specifications. They use 4G technologies such as 4×4 MIMO to increase data rates, but this is not 5G. And while data speed is important, 5G is not just about data transfer speed. There's a lot more.

What is 5G?

Right now, 5G is undefined. So far, no one knows the final specifications. However, the ITU has so far agreed on a few key performance requirements for 5G.

• No Call Drops is the biggest change for the average mobile user. You won't lose calls or lose internet access when you switch towers on a 5G network. The ITU says that a 5G network is one where mobile interruption time does not exist, so unless this specification is met, it is not 5G.
• Low latency- 5G phones will have latency between 4ms and 1ms (the lower the better). Latency, measured in milliseconds, is the time it takes for a phone to send a signal to an Internet server. The fastest for 4G is 50ms latency. Low latency will greatly facilitate the use of technologies such as augmented reality or virtual reality with smart glasses.
• Battery efficiency- you've heard about how data connection drains your phone's battery. 5G networks will greatly reduce this with improved "sleep" features. "Sleep" is when the phone is not using the network.
• Works at a speed of 500 km / h. The faster your car moves, the faster your phone moves. This means your phone changes mobile towers quickly. Existing mobile networks cannot handle these fast switching between towers. 5G will work even when you are on a high-speed train at 500 km/h.

How fast is the 5G network?

5G networks will have real speed 100 Mbps download (megabits per second) and 50 Mbps upload speed. This is about 12 MB of data download per second. The hour-long HD show will load in about four minutes.

The ITU makes a distinction between "peak data rates" (technically the highest possible under laboratory conditions) and "experimental data rates" (which users will experience in real-world conditions).

5G will have a peak data rate of 20Gbps downlink of 10Gbps). So far, in the lab, Nokia and Samsung have managed downlink speeds of 10 Gbps and 7.5 Gbps, respectively.

Outcome: it's really, really fast!

When will 5G phones and networks be available?

Intel and Ericsson executives estimate that the US will receive the first batch of 5G-compatible devices in 2019. But the ITU is setting 2018-2020 as a “technology definition” period, so there may be some changes.

This 2020 estimate is partly based on the 10-year mobility cycle in the world to launch next generation mobile networks. It started with analog 1G in 1982, moved to digital 2G in 1991, to 3G in the 2000s, and has landed on current 4G networks since 2010.

South Korean and Japanese operators announced that in 2019 they will start providing commercial services 5G. Major European carriers plan to launch 5G in at least one city in each of the EU member states by 2020.

What frequency bands will 5G use?

5G networks are expected to operate on the 28GHz, 37GHz and 39GHz bands. Generally speaking, 5G will start at 30GHz to use millimeter waves. In comparison, 4G operates between 700 MHz and 2100 MHz. A gigahertz is literally a thousand times stronger than a megahertz.

high spectrum band

5G is the first network to operate on millimeter waves, which will enable significantly faster data transfer rates than currently possible. Millimeter waves will also reduce the size of the required antennas. This means that wearable technologies such as smartwatches or smart glasses can more easily fit into a 5G connection.

What is the difference between 4G and 5G?

4G vs 5G difference table

	4G/LTE		42 Mbps	100 Mb/s
Uplink speed (real time)	25 Mb/s	50 Mb/s
Data loading (theoretical/in vitro)	1 Gb/s	20 Gb/s
Uplink speed (theoretical/laboratory)	500 Mbps	10 Gb/s
Spectral efficiency (reception)	15 bps / Hz	30 bps / Hz
Spectral Efficiency (Uplink)	6.75 bps / Hz	15 bps / Hz
Delays (control plane)	100ms	50ms
Delays (user plane)	10ms	1ms
Frequency bands	700-2100 MHz	28-40 GHz

What are the benefits of 5G?

For the end consumer, 5G will have tangible benefits such as:

Better video call, especially while driving.

Best battery life on phones.

Fantastic augmented reality as 5G tracks users in real time and loads data faster.

Bringing virtual reality mobile experiences through speeds that can support real-time 4K streaming on mobile phones.

Improvements in wearable technology, like fitness bands, that can track your every move.

More internet of things and smart things, 5G antennas are smaller and more efficient than today's technology.

Of course, 5G has many more benefits, including indirect benefits. For example, this brings long-term economic benefits to the mobile industry, which in turn will pass these benefits on to the consumer.

It appears that carriers are promoting their advanced LTE speeds as "5G", which is based on faster download speeds. Download speed is the most important thing for you? Do you think it's okay for them to call it 5G? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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 fourth-generation technologies or, as they are already accustomed to calling them, fourth-generation 4G technologies . It was stated that these technologies allow data transmission at speeds exceeding 100 Mbit/s for mobile subscribers and 1 Gbit/s for fixed subscribers. And before the operators had time to take a 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, including Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, are already proposing the concept of future 5G networks. 5G is expected to be the latest and generalized standard for wireless technologies.

Returning to the conversation about fourth generation networks (4G), 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 huge number of devices are planned to work in 5G networks, ranging from coffee machines, refrigerators and ending with cars, a serious improvement in the main parameters of wireless networks is necessary, namely, an increase in the data transfer rate to many subscribers, an increase in network capacity and a decrease in delays.

This is planned to be achieved as follows:

1. Increasing network bandwidth over 10 Gbps;
2. The number of simultaneous connections up to 100 million devices per 1 square kilometer;
3. Ensuring network delay reduction to 1 ms;
4. Allocating a certain resource capacity to each service.

Virtualization in 5G networks

One of the main technologies in fifth-generation networks will be the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things is not just a set 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 is carried out between people and devices. To implement this, technologies such as wireless sensor networks and RFID (automatic object identification method) will be used. Thus, the introduction 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 implies a grouping of individual network components into a single optimized computing complex. The organization of this complex is planned with the help of equipment virtualization. That is, operators, through a set of servers and DATA centers, will organize virtual equipment for processing and storing data, while physical equipment will be used only to transmit user traffic. Thus there will be a reduction in the amount of equipment for one base station, and given that all this will be a kind of cloud, 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 transfer network in which the network control level is separated from data transfer devices and implemented in software, and NVF is a network architecture concept that suggests using virtualization technologies for entire classes of network node functions in the form constituent elements, which can be connected together or linked in a chain to create telecommunications services (services).

Figure 2 - Virtualization of 5G networks

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

Figure 3 - Networks on demand in 5G

As you know, under the organization specific task networks (smartphone network, smart home, etc.) already exist turnkey solutions with a set of parameters and specific equipment. 5G networks, through virtualization and on-demand network technology, offer to organize servers and DATA centers for operators in advance, taking into account all the requirements for the network. A sort of boxed solution for the operator.

5G 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 be adjusted to the needs of subscribers, unlike networks of the previous generation. It is planned to use automatic phased antenna arrays capable of dynamically changing the radiation patterns of antenna systems. It is also planned to use the entire available frequency range, in particular the use of the millimeter wave over short distances.

As for the question of the 5G network architecture, it is worth highlighting three subsystems (clouds), yes - cloud technologies, where without them in the modern world:

1. Cloud access (Access) - implies the inclusion of both distributed and centralized technologies and access systems. It is also planned to be backward compatible with 4G and 3G networks;
2. Cloud management (Control) - management of sessions, mobility and quality of services;
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 fourth generation (4G) networks. This results in up to 3 times more data being transmitted for the same bandwidth, i.e. about 6 bps per 1 Hz. The new air interface is planned to be flexible, easily configurable and backward compatible with 4G and 3G networks.

Figure 5 - New radio interface concept

Huawei has proposed the following solution for the new interface:

Figure 6 - Basic technologies for the air 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, while there is no need for delivery confirmation. In this technology, the bit streams of different users in the same frequency resource are directly converted into a code word using the so-called code book from a certain set. These codes are conditionally 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 code book and the already converted signal enters the air interface. Restoration of the signal on the receiving side is also carried out according to the code book.

Figure 7 - SCMA technology algorithm

• F-OFDM (Flexibel OFDM) is an advanced OFDM technology that allows organizing flexible subcarrier partitioning, flexible symbol length change and flexible cyclic prefix change. That is, each task will use its own set of parameters.

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 shows additional, but undoubtedly important technologies for 5G networks.

Additional technologies in 5G networks

• Massive MIMO - transmission to one subscriber up to 8 data streams. In Massive MIMO, the subscriber can work with a large number of antennas at the same time, 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 throughput and spectral efficiency;

Figure 9 - Massive MIMO

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

Figure 10 - How the New Full Duplex Works

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

Figure 11 - Principle of operation of Flexibel Duplex

• FBMC / UFMC (Filter Bank Multicarrier, Universal Filter Multi-Carrier) - increases spectral efficiency, improves channel selectivity, allows use in "cognitive radio";
• Adv. Coding and Modulation - the use of a combination of modulation and coding technologies, including such as Non-binary coding, Bit-mapping techniques, Joint coding & modulation;
• Ultra-dense networking - allows, through virtualization, to organize 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 you to build complex network hierarchies. Also, this technology allows the simultaneous interaction of cells with each other;

Figure 12 - Ultra-dense technology

• Low latency & high reliability - lower latency and increase reliability;
• M2M/D2D - transfer of information directly between devices (machines, devices) without human intervention. Expanding coverage through subscriber devices Building 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 - spectrum sharing on different levels different access technologies.

Network management in 5G will be carried out at the expense of developing 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 at 1 Gbps at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Breaking 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 world market?

Less than a month ago, at a test of 5G network equipment in Sweden, telecom operator 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 a functioning 4G network. By the way, for fifth-generation networks, the developed roadmap provides for peak data transfer rates of 20 Gbps. According to Telia's management, the launch of commercial 5G networks is planned as early as 2018 in Stockholm and the capital of Estonia, Tallinn.

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

Although 20Gbps is the baseline speed of 20Gbps by the International Telecommunication Union, Huawei is looking to create much faster networks as prototype base stations and receivers are presented on the forums to support 115Gbps data transfer.

Also, gigabit speeds are no exception for moving subscribers, because a couple of months ago, Huawei transferred 10 Gb / s 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 by the radiation pattern of the base station that supports MIMO and Beamforming.

Conclusion

Now it is rather 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. 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 network of the new generation, after the introduction of which for a long time it will not be necessary to create and develop next 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 alteration of the architecture, and only a minor revision of the radio part awaits us.