5G, the latest generation of cellular technology, comes with a variety of moving parts and new features that have the potential to transform traditional networks. To understand these changing aspects, it helps to start by understanding exactly what they are.
This 5G glossary details the terminology, definitions, and relationships of 14 key terms and phrases related to next-generation mobile networks. From the project groups that developed the 5G standard to the smallest technologies that will enable 5G, his essential 5G glossary will help establish the vocabulary needed not only for the future of mobile networks, but for networks as a whole. Masu.
Explore the following 5G keywords and phrases to understand the technology in its entirety.
5G Explained: A Glossary of Important 5G Terms
3GPP. Various telecommunications organizations, including AT&T, formerly Nortel Networks, and British Telecom, have developed the Third Generation Partnership Project to create standards for 3G technology. Since then, 3GPP has continued to develop standards for subsequent wireless generations, including his 5G. This project uses standards based on the Global System for Mobile communications specifications and radio access technologies.
5G. Fifth generation wireless (5G) is the next generation of cellular network technology. The goal of 5G is to improve network speed and responsiveness to provide real-time communications and allow data to move faster. Many of the new features described in this 5G glossary come with 5G.
Advanced 5G. 5G Advanced is the next evolution of 5G technology announced by 3GPP in 2021 and is expected to unleash the full capabilities of 5G. 5G Advanced is another name for Release 18 and future releases of the 5G specification. It uses AI and machine learning to improve network performance and deliver up to 20% higher data rates than 5G. 5G Advanced supports the growth of demanding applications such as live video streaming and other real-time applications. This is expected to enable a wider range of use cases for organizations in vertical industries, one of the original promises of 5G. 5G Advanced is backward compatible, allowing it to coexist with current 5G New Radio (5G NR) releases and serve legacy 5G devices.
5GNR. A series of standards called 5G New Radio is intended to replace the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard and support the growth of wireless communications by enhancing electromagnetic radiation spectrum efficiency. In December 2017, 3GPP released his 5G NR specification, updating some performance and connectivity requirements for connections to be certified as 5G NR. It is designed as a global standard for air interfaces in 5G networks and is based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).
Fixed wireless. Fixed wireless broadband is one of two types of 5G services. The other is mobile phone technology. Fixed wireless consists of wireless systems and devices located in fixed locations such as offices and homes. It provides subscribers with Internet access in areas without fiber-optic Internet infrastructure, often in rural areas. Your ISP sends fixed wireless Internet broadcasts to your receivers via airwaves installed on your premises. Your receiver must be within approximately 10 miles of your service provider’s tower to function.
waiting time. Network delay is the amount of delay or time it takes for a packet to travel from point to point. The main difference between 4G and 5G is latency. 4G has a latency of 60 to 98 milliseconds, while 5G promises a latency of perhaps around 3 milliseconds. With ultra-low latency, 5G will be able to provide users with real-time communication capabilities such as reliable audio and video streaming, and is expected to help enable virtual reality, IoT, and AI.
LTE. Long-Term Evolution is the 4G wireless standard that lays the foundation for 5G technology. LTE offers increased capacity, speed, and peak data transfer rates. He also developed LTE for 3GPP to unify wireless broadband standards worldwide. LTE supports different types of traffic such as voice, video, and messaging.
Millimeter wave. MmWave is a radio spectrum band from 30 GHz to 300 GHz that provides high-speed broadband connectivity for data transfer. 5G operates in this spectrum band. The MmWave spectrum travels at high frequencies with short direct wavelengths. Line-of-sight movement. MmWave can provide high speed point-to-point wireless LAN. Due to the nature of mmWave, atmospheric changes such as increased humidity and physical barriers can affect performance and signal strength. This is because millimeter waves are absorbed by gases and moisture in the atmosphere, reducing the range and strength of the radio waves.
Mimo. Abbreviation for MIMO Multiple inputs, multiple outputsThis is a transmission technology that consists of multiple antennas for communication between a source and a destination. MIMO uses smart antenna technology that combines available antennas to reduce potential errors during data transmission and optimize data rates. 5G uses Massive MIMO. This is an extension of MIMO that uses more transmit and receive antennas so that providers can prepare their networks to support increased amounts of data. Massive MIMO increases user bandwidth and supports more users per antenna.
network slicing. Network slicing is a virtual network overlay architecture that allows virtual networks to be separated into separate partitions (slices) that support different services and applications, all residing on the same hardware. Each slice has its own architecture, management, and security. This architecture separates the user plane and control plane, moving the user plane closer to the network edge. Network slicing is a key feature of 5G that 4G cellular and other generations could not support.
OFDM. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing is a method of encoding data on multiple carrier frequencies. In this data transmission method, a single data stream is divided into separate narrowband subchannels at different frequencies. These separate channels help reduce and avoid interference. OFDM encoding is part of the 5G framework, and the channels range from 100 MHz to 800 MHz.
Orchid. A radio access network is a part of a telecommunications network that uses wireless connections to connect user devices to different parts of a mobile network. In the latest RAN evolution, the user plane and control plane are split into separate elements, allowing various 5G features such as network slicing and MIMO to function properly.
RTC. Real-time communication allows users to share information and data instantly with little or no delay. RTC provides direct access from source to destination, as these live communications do not require storage. RTC is a touted feature of 5G networks.
small cell. Small cells are physically small, low-power radio frequency base stations built to improve signal penetration and improve the efficiency and coverage of wireless networks. Small cells have the ability to transport low, medium, and high bands of data spectrum, such as millimeter waves. Since 5G can provide high speeds within a limited range, small cells can enhance and ensure reliable signal strength to benefit 5G signals. Unlike cell towers, small cell towers are placed every few blocks rather than miles.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include additional 5G terminology.
