In the age of instant gratification, we’re used to not having to wait for things. From fast food to instant ordering, same-day delivery, continually updated software, and faster interactions with everything we’re connected to, our aversion to waiting is at different levels. it is clear. (Well, whether that’s really a good thing or not is another story…)
With that in mind, it probably makes sense that one of the most awaited improvements in 5G is a significant reduction in what is technically called latency, but essentially boils down to lag time or delay . As with any type of wired or wireless connection, there is always a certain amount of delay between an action or request made on one device and a response returned on that same device. In the meantime, it composes a message on the sending device, sends the packets of information that make up that message over the network, receives the data at the other end, takes appropriate actions, and collects new data based on the request. The new data is then sent back over the network, and the response is received and processed by the device that originally requested it.
Despite all these steps, all of this takes an incredibly short amount of time to perform, on the order of tens of milliseconds, even on today’s cellular and WiFi networks. (For reference, the average human reaction time ranges from about 100 to 300 milliseconds, but our brains take about 13 milliseconds to recognize what our eyes see. Also, the delay in audio is (You’ll hear it in about 1 millisecond.) To measure all of this on your wireless network, use a tool like the SpeedTest app to see how long it takes to get a response from a quick message sent from your device to the connected network. Check the ping time to detect the time.
One of the promises of 5G is supposed to reduce latency to 1ms, which certainly sounds impressive at first glance. But as with many aspects of 5G, it turns out the whole story isn’t that simple. Additionally, unbeknownst to many, the latest version of 4G LTE Advanced Pro has evolved to the point where it also performs significantly better when it comes to latency.
“One of the promises of 5G is supposed to reduce latency times to 1ms, which certainly sounds impressive at first glance. But like many aspects of 5G, the full story is less than 1 millisecond. It turns out it’s not that simple.”
To fully understand the latency issue, we need to break it down into several different components. First, the way messages are created, encoded, and sent across the network can affect latency. This is when the enhancements to the 5G NR spec make a positive (but actually very small) difference. Essentially, 5G NR can do this more efficiently than 4G, but the net improvement is less than 1ms. The frequency of the signal used for transmission also affects this speed. Therefore, the fact that 5G can use high-frequency millimeter-wave signals improves the situation, but the improvement is less than 1 millisecond. In reality, both 4G signals and low-band (<1 GHz) 5G signals take about 1 millisecond to reach a cell phone base station from your device. This journey is completed in about 1/4 millisecond for mmWave signals, compared to about 1/2 millisecond for mid-band 5G signals. So while 5G may technically be faster, it's not perceptible to humans.
The bigger factor that affects delay time has to do with what happens after the signal reaches the tower. This is where different 5G network modes come into play. All current 5G networks use something called non-standalone mode or NSA mode (see 4G-5G connectivity for more information). What this means is that the wireless connection from the smartphone to the tower is 5G, but from the tower to the rest of the “core” network it remains 4G. The transition to a standalone 5G network (replacing the 4G core with a new, faster 5G core) is what is needed to really experience the latency improvements promised by 5G. Unfortunately, while there may be some experimentation with 5G standalone networks this year, widespread deployment of 5G standalone networks in the United States is still years away.
In case you’re wondering, the reason 5G core networks can reduce latency is due to a technology called network slicing. As the name suggests, network slicing divides the entire network bandwidth into chunks or lanes. It also provides a mechanism to manage these lanes individually, providing specific types of functionality for individual lanes. For delay purposes, network slicing allows certain lanes to have less traffic than other lanes. Think of it like his HOV lane on the highway. This ensures that data flowing through those lanes is transmitted without delay, reducing delays. As with highways, you may not be able to do this on all lanes and may have to pay for the privilege of using those lanes. However, this option will be enabled, at least for standalone 5G networks that support network slicing.
However, even with these enhancements in place, it’s important to get a reality check on what public 5G networks can offer in terms of latency. The final numbers will vary depending on the actual deployment, but my understanding from speaking with his 5G network experts from companies like Qualcomm, National Instruments, AT&T, and T-Mobile is that numbers are in the 10-12 millisecond range. is likely to be much higher than 1 ms. -2ms. To be fair, it may be possible to achieve these single-digit millisecond latencies on private industrial 5G networks. In fact, it is part of the promise of the URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications) specification, which is being finalized in the 3GPP Release 16 document. Scheduled for release later this year. However, these are done in a more controlled environment and are not affected by all the traffic that occurs on public 5G networks. Another interesting thing to note is that the latencies of today’s 4G LTE Advanced Pro networks are already in the low 20s, so while 5G enhancements may be great, they are not the same as what we are already seeing today. However, this does not mean that the delay will be dramatically improved. .
The latency issue can actually be addressed in a few different ways. Yet another enhancement that we will see over time actually has nothing to do with 5G, but rather with how mobile network infrastructure is evolving along with his 5G. I am. Specifically, we’re starting to see major network carriers like AT&T and Verizon begin to integrate more cloud computing technology directly into their towers. In fact, late last year, AT&T announced a major deal with Microsoft’s Azure, quickly followed by deals with Verizon and Amazon’s AWS. In either case, these technology agreements enable wireless carriers to integrate and run edge-based versions of their respective cloud computing platforms within the carrier’s wireless network infrastructure. In other words, instead of taking a data request received at a cell phone base station and sending it to cloud computing infrastructure elsewhere in the network, the base station responds to the request and sends it directly to the phone. You can send it.
As a practical matter, it is difficult to accurately estimate how much improvement this will enable in the real world, especially since it is not possible to run all AWS or Azure workloads directly on individual towers. ), but I have no doubt that it will become a reality as this technology becomes more widespread. Wireless network latency should also be improved.
This means you’ll eventually see latency improvements that make cloud-based gaming more responsive, network streaming less glitchy, and overall wireless performance better than before. . However, as ironic as it may sound, we will have to wait a while when it comes to improving 5G latency.
Disclosure: TECHnalogy Research is a market research and consulting firm in the technology industry, and like all companies in its field, it counts many technology vendors as customers, some of which may be mentioned in this article. There is a gender.
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