5G technology is specified to use two
frequency bands, FR1 (below 6 GHz, shared
with LTE) and FR2 (mmWave or above 24 GHz).
5G signals that use higher frequencies are not
capable of travelling large distances and cannot
easily penetrate solid objects. As a result, rather
than huge, geographically dispersed towers,
much of a 5G network will consist of a dense,
distributed network of small cell base stations to
overcome these issues. This in turn allows more
processing on the edge, leading to lower latencies.
Such a network is also advantageous in terms of
installation costs.
5G also makes use of other technologies such
as Massive MIMO antennas that can increase
sector throughput and Beamforming to improve
signal quality and data transfer speeds.
Superhighway for IR4
Bernard Marr, in an article in Forbes, describes
the 4 th Industrial Revolution (IR4) as "the
exponential changes to the way we live, work and
relate to one another due to the adoption of cyber-
physical systems, the Internet of Things (IoT) and
the Internet of Systems. As we implement smart
technologies in our factories and workplaces,
connected machines will interact, visualise the
entire production chain and make decisions
autonomously. This revolution is expected to
impact all disciplines, industries, and economies."
Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and
Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum,
the man who coined the phrase, describes it as
"a range of new technologies that are fusing the
physical, digital and biological worlds, impacting
all disciplines, economies and industries."
While the previous industrial revolutions
were powered by steam, electricity and
computerisation, the fourth industrial revolution,
with an entire interdependent, interlinked digital
ecosystem, relying on data to inform every step
in every process, will be underpinned by 5G
communications networks.
5G infrastructures will allow for real-time
communication, eliminating the annoying lag over
distances, procedures such as remote surgeries
that require not only real-time images and
response but also ultra-reliability, and mMTC will
provide the capacity to accommodate IoT devices
and deliver AI capabilities.
S t r a t fo r, an A m e r i c an ge o p o li t i c al
intelligence platform and publisher, writes, "5G
communications networks will enhance the
performance of the Internet of things, autonomous
vehicles and other technological advancements in
the 2020s."
In an article published on their website, Stratfor
Worldview reported that in a 5G simulation in San
Francisco, users could enjoy a significant increase
in speeds rising from 71 megabits per second
55