Mobile phone carriers are making significant progress in transitioning to 5G, and the technology is likely to be nearly ubiquitous. This provides opportunities and benefits for businesses as they plan their future network strategies. But 5G is still not the slam dunk that always lives up to the hype that comes with it.
In theory, 5G technology should definitely offer lower latency and higher speeds and bandwidth than 4G. 5G is frequently touted for its improved support for real-time applications and data-intensive mobile applications. However, in practice, the entire paradigm is still changing significantly, so actual results are often different.
Despite 5G I’m here While it is a viable mobile data option of choice and a viable enhancement to the overall wireless connectivity approach, businesses should keep a few caveats in mind. Here are five of his 5G limitations that enterprise network teams may encounter.
1. Proximity (usually) determines performance
Operators are reshaping the entire mobile network landscape by upgrading and adding sites to support 5G. As with almost all wireless technologies, the closer a client device is to a network node, the better the connection and performance, barring external factors such as interference.
However, 5G also has fundamental characteristics that need to be overcome on a physical level. Best of all, 5G uses millimeter waves, which have shorter wavelengths than 3G and 4G and don’t reach as far at the same power level.
While the coverage of individual 5G cells is typically low, 5G as a network protocol framework can carry more data. To combat the limitations of small cell footprints, carriers are deploying much larger antenna arrays where needed to optimize coverage. These large antenna configurations also use beamforming techniques to help 5G systems avoid interference by allowing packets to take multiple paths through the environment to reach individual client devices as they move through the coverage area. enable you to overcome.
That said, while users are still close to major 5G networks, they may be disappointed in their performance if the networks use legacy hardware or underperforming spectrum. As an example, my somewhat newer 5G phone typically has underwhelming performance from my location on the west side of Indianapolis.
2. Spectrum and Bandwidth
The spectrum allowed for use in 5G is a bit strange to understand, as there is no clear definition of singular starting and ending frequencies. Three different bands will perform, each with their own unique characteristics. At any given time, one or all bands in a cell may be in use, and performance can range from blazingly fast to as slow as 3G used to be.
Service providers who want to offer the best 5G experience are sharing their allocated radio frequencies more between 4G and 5G, favoring the latter. 5G’s best performance and low latency will primarily be achieved with mmWave deployments, which have a much more limited range.
When purchasing 5G service, frequency is an important consideration when choosing both carrier and equipment. The majority of overall 5G deployments will still be on traditional 3G and 4G spectrum, allowing for backwards compatibility with older devices, but with the potential for reduced performance.
Whether this is acceptable depends on your organization’s requirements. It can also be difficult to get a clear read on what a particular carrier’s 5G version of his will actually look like in a particular location from a spectrum perspective.
One way 5G overcomes the bandwidth limitations of today’s systems is through network slicing. Network slicing is part of the virtualization trend that has driven increased data center density, capacity, and functionality by “slicing” resources to share more idle resources and increase overall usage. New. Network slicing allows 5G carriers to better utilize their networks, handle more users, and transfer more data simultaneously.
3. Rural and remote areas
Naturally, as 5G rolls out, rural and remote areas are no longer a top priority, and carriers focused on urban areas first. But at the same time, penetration into rural markets is also occurring, making 5G an increasingly prominent presence on carriers’ coverage maps.
As I travel around the rural Midwest here, I often see recently installed 5G in unexpected places, and it usually performs very well. T-Mobile’s coverage map shows that his 5G service is now available to subscribers in many of Indiana’s rural towns like Ladoga (population: about 1,000), where the 5G network is now available. As it matures we will see that home internet services will eventually become possible as well.
Using the T-Mobile example here, we can see that 5G is not a given in rural areas where there are more cornfields than people. However, the coverage map is still impressive.
Mobile applications abound in industries such as agriculture and mining, but carriers may not yet consider it cost-effective to deploy 5G in some remote locations. Does he need 5G for these applications? It depends on the specifics of the situation. A remote rollout could occur if a large customer is willing to shoulder the cost, or if an existing cable backhaul already exists. And private 5G may be an option in many targeted cases.
Another factor in the rural 5G equation is the lifecycle replacement of older 3G and 4G systems, which can become difficult to support due to age. Economically, his 5G sweet spot for carriers is when they can take their 3G and 4G systems offline as 5G rolls out.
4. Security
Security is a concern for everyone today, whether you use a network or provide a network. The overall architecture of 5G, especially back-end provisioning and processing, provides opportunities for better and more granular security capabilities on the carrier side. Furthermore, as we have seen with previous wireless technology transitions, 5G is primarily assumed to offer better security, as security is primarily addressed first on modern platforms.
5G includes new security features and therefore has a different security model than 3G and 4G. The good news for businesses is that carriers handle most of this implementation. However, for companies building network services on top of 5G cellular networks, it is important to understand these new security models to ensure comprehensive and secure services.
From a security perspective, it’s important for organizations to test what they want to do on their 5G networks before deploying operations.
5. Cost
Whether 5G is part of a lifecycle refresh for client devices or a new network option to use, it comes with a price tag. In some cases, an organization may simply replace a phone or cellular router. In other cases, companies may consider new contracts and consider private 5G depending on the situation.
5G is expected to include new line items in the budget. If companies are not financially ready, they may have to postpone their organization’s migration to 5G as part of their overall network planning.
How can businesses meet the challenges of 5G?
Marketing departments would have you believe that 5G is essential for both consumer and business applications. But what 5G is and isn’t varies at the moment, so it’s important to approach this topic with your eyes wide open. When addressing the challenges of 5G, businesses should consider the following factors:
- So what exactly can you offer where you want 5G? Let your salespeople prove their case before you cut the check. Understand that 5G is an ever-evolving technology.
- Just know that in many situations, the 5G hype will outweigh the reality for some time to come.
- No one is giving away 5G for free, so make sure you clearly understand how 5G is likely to impact your initial and future IT spending.
- When considering private 5G, conduct a legitimate proof of concept with a clear purpose before committing to the technology.
Overall, businesses need to understand the benefits as well as the challenges when moving to 5G. It is clear that 5G has some limitations, but in the long run the advantages of 5G should outweigh the disadvantages of 5G. Over time, 5G should bring new opportunities for businesses to be more agile and competitive.
Lee Badman is a network architect specializing in wireless and cloud technologies for a large private university. He is also an author and frequent speaker at industry events.
