5G millimeter wave nationwide deployment status
Mobile communication after 5G is expected to increase the demand not only for communication with people such as smartphones, but also for communication with objects, and further increase in communication traffic is expected.
In 5G, wide frequency bands such as millimeter wave bands (28 GHz band, etc.) are allocated to accommodate future increases in communication traffic.
Looking at the commercialization status of 5G millimeter wave technology around the world, following the United States and Japan, it has been widely deployed in Europe, South Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and Australia, and 28 carriers have started commercial services worldwide. ing. The number of operators is expected to continue to increase as frequencies are allocated.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of the end of March 2023, the total number of 5G base stations operated by four domestic mobile phone carriers is approximately 170,000, covering more than 96.6% of the population. However, only about 14% (approximately 23,000 stations) of these are millimeter wave (mmWave) base stations.
Each carrier has been allocated 400MHz of mmWave spectrum bandwidth, which represents approximately 50% of the existing allocated frequencies. However, when looking at the traffic volume by band, it currently accounts for less than 0.1% of the total.
Millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies have been allocated and commercial services have begun in many countries. However, the current situation is that its utilization has not progressed that much. This is due to the nature of millimeter wave signals, which are difficult to reach over long distances and easily weakened by obstacles, making it difficult to establish wide coverage areas. Additionally, the limited number of devices (such as smartphones) that support mmWave limits its use.
