- 5G networks may be right for your organization.
- Some physical and technical issues exist.
- Don’t believe the marketing hype.
5G is one of those buzzwords that tends to be mentioned as part of a long string whenever “next generation” technologies are mentioned, such as AI, Web 3, Metaverse, and 5G. But unlike the elusive Web 3, the non-existent metaverse, and the disappointingly average “AI,” 5G is a technology with practical use cases for today’s enterprises and private organizations.
As the next step in mobile phone technology, 5G is getting a lot of airtime in mainstream media, and mobile phone networks are proudly offering new phones, tablets, and hotspots that support the latest interconnects. But other than upgrading the company’s mobile phone to his 5G, what is the practical effect of his 5G on the operational side of the enterprise?
The biggest feature of 5G is data transfer speeds and, perhaps more importantly, the time (measured in milliseconds) it takes for data to begin flowing between a device and the nearest tower or access point. ) has low latency. Lower latency means 5G-equipped devices can react more quickly to incoming data (with less latency between both sides of a digital conversation) and send and process outgoing messages more quickly.
This is why, for example, self-driving car technology arsenals typically include 5G elements. Real-time status can be updated quickly, eliminating communication delays that impact operations. If the car in front brakes suddenly and the self-driving car is in a group of digitally controlled similar vehicles, the car will know that it needs to brake immediately and avoid a collision with the car in front. Avoid. The same goes for fast-moving production lines made up of multiple machines. Fast and low-latency communication between each machine is advantageous for speeding up or in case of a sudden stop in throughput. In the same situation, where the performance of one device might slow down another, you could benefit from finer, real-time control over the machine.
Factory Workers from the World Bank Photo Collection is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
5G network description
However, one of the drawbacks of 5G networks is that they communicate using radio waves in higher frequency bands to achieve faster communication. If you ever got stuck in your high school physics class, you’ll know that the higher the frequency of radio waves, the more susceptible they are to being blocked by objects such as buildings or unobtrusive hills between the transmitter and the receiver.
As a result, high-frequency radio waves tend to be absorbed by obstructions, so they virtually don’t travel very far (so with music from a noisy neighbor’s party, you’ll hear a thumping bass and not much noise) ). high frequency vocals).
Data exchange in 5G takes place in three frequency bands: low, medium, and high (the latter sometimes referred to as mmWave), ensuring an optimal balance between range, reliability, and speed.
Therefore, in private settings and appropriate environments, 5G offers speeds and low latency that are comparable to or better than cable networks, but with all the benefits of wireless communication. Public, private, and hybrid (a combination of the first two) networks include cell points, a RAN (Radio Access Network), a core that manages traffic, a physical SIM (a transmitting and receiving mechanism similar to an old-fashioned modem), and various It consists of a mechanism. Prioritize or slice your network according to your priorities and needs. A large company with many manufacturing plants may be operating a series of private 5G networks at each facility, with different facilities using a hybrid 5G network bridged with public 5G.
In particular, the frequency bands licensed for 5G vary by country, so equipment procurement must be done carefully. Cheap imports may or may not work as expected and may operate on unlicensed frequencies. The latter means that the user may not actually be liable for prosecution (although it would probably be worth investigating), but other users using the same frequency band, whether by accident or on purpose, may be subject to interference from other users.
Private 5G networks offer several benefits, whether local to a single site or widely distributed across a hospital complex or university campus. The first is the ability to restrict access to the network and isolate users from third parties. This is advantageous for high-security facilities or environments where IIoT or IoT devices need to be isolated from the rest of the network.
5G at work
5G speeds mean that widely distributed disparate buildings or groups of buildings can be easily connected to each other, especially if the nodes are within direct line-of-sight, turning LANs (Local Area Networks) into WANs (Wide Areas). You can change it. network), there is little overhead in terms of speed and responsiveness encountered by the user. Previously, such connections were made by microwave radio links, but even higher frequency connections were used, which could be interrupted by, for example, a roof-mounted antenna being slightly dislodged by heavy rain or wind. There was a possibility that
Therefore, the actual use of 5G within an organization will largely depend on the type of business. In controlled, known areas where high speeds and low latency are important, 5G offers several important benefits. In some markets, especially those with good consumer adoption of 5G, the cost of hardware and related technology has fallen significantly over the past two to three years. Similarly, very few companies upgrade their Ethernet infrastructure from his 5 wires to his 6 wires. It may be best to use an external contractor with the appropriate experience and skills.
Unlike the 5G consumer segment, which is almost entirely driven by marketing that creates demand that doesn’t need to exist (4G is a technology that has enough speed and bandwidth to send high-quality video streams to most modern smartphones) ), there is no need to use a private network to deploy 5G. Joining a public network without justifiable reason. But in some cases, this next-generation cell technology could be a game-changer for early adopters.
“Candid shots from the iPhone production line.” by followthethings.com Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
