Wireless carriers looking to deploy 5G technologies on top of their current 4G deployments might be wise to take into account a few considerations
Despite the deployment of “5G” wireless technologies that is expected to come over the next several years, carriers are not pulling back on their investment in 4G technology rollouts. Even as 5G moves closer to reality, LTE is in full swing, said 5G Americas President Chris Pearson earlier this year during a webinar about the path to 5G. Instead of completely replacing 5G, 4G will serve as the foundation for 5G, Pearson said.
The primary drivers for 5G have been well documented. Mobile bandwidth demand from consumers is increasing rapidly, as video anytime, anywhere has become a user requirement. Demand for higher-speed connectivity also is being pushed, albeit at a slower pace, by companies that are connecting many of their business-critical applications to the cloud.
But beyond video and the cloud, the real driver and demand for higher-speed/higher-bandwidth wireless networks is the “internet of things,” which will connect billions of devices to the internet and to each other. And with IoT comes an increased need for more secure networks. Today’s network-based “hop-by-hop” security approach is not enough to build differentiated end-to-end security for various services. The type of security needed for IoT can’t be latched on to existing networks, but rather must be designed and built into the system design from the beginning.
The problem with forging ahead with 5G is that deployment of 4G LTE is still lagging in certain parts of the world, and even in certain parts of the U.S. So while 5G is on the white boards of carriers, 4G is still a necessary requirement. And with the timeline for 5G being pushed forward from its expected 2020 availability, there are still a lot of practical considerations for the transition to 5G that need to be figured out before the first equipment comes rolling off the line. Namely, the technology, services and business considerations that come with supporting two – and in some cases even three – generations of wireless networks.
The good news is that by working with a fast-paced partner, today’s groundwork can be accomplished to set 5G plans in motion. Let’s take a look at these three areas as wireless carriers plot their 5G preparations.
Technology considerations
There will be significant – but not impossible – technology hurdles to overcome as 5G enters the picture.
• We’ll see the demand for more individual fiber connections as more electronics will require them for support.
• Since 4G will dovetail with 5G, new base stations and antennas will need to be mounted. While many carriers will need to employ existing towers, there will be a need created for new towers in some areas. In the future, cell towers will be found in a variety of locations: rooftops, small cell backhaul locations and existing/leased light poles, and any other creative and “permitable” space that can provide relative safety and coverage. However, in most areas, carriers will need to employ existing towers.
• Carriers will need to thus consider tower weight issues and emerging technology will need to help carriers address this with efficient solutions.
• To help with weight issues, among other things, carriers will look to replace coaxial cables with lighter weight fiber.
Service considerations
The main issues here are around creating and maintaining a stellar customer experience.
• Carriers will need to maintain quality of service on their 4G networks, as well as on their 5G networks as they are introduced.
• As such, they will need to do consistent performance monitoring to ensure the network is performing to specifications and that issues are identified quickly.
• Critical services, such as 911, must be maintained.
Business considerations
These are all of the labor and paperwork-type necessities. If new sites are required to have 5G work at their peak performance, wireless carriers will need to take into consideration several business requirements:
• Real estate concerns, such as geographical challenges, boring, distance between wireless lines of sight and rights of way.
• New installation also means receiving the required permits – generally issued at the local level, which can be time-consuming on a town-by-town and city-by-city basis.
• The acquisition of skilled labor to install new equipment and new fiber.
Underneath all of this is the requirement for a reliable, secure network, and that’s where fiber comes in. As part of the transition to 5G, providers will also grow out their fiber networks, creating an enormous “pipe” that runs backhaul from every macro site, tower and rooftop so that the user – or device – experience is flawless. According to a recent report from Strategy&, the global strategy consulting team at PwC, by 2030, the winners will be those wireless providers with the largest installed base of fiber. They will be able to use their fiber bases to serve retail customers (fixed-line and business), as well as to connect mobile base stations serving their own mobile operators. They’ll also be able to offer backhaul for other operators.
Fiber has several advantages as providers grow their 4G and 5G networks:
• Small form factor.
• Increased bandwidth capabilities over coaxial cable.
• Cost (it’s cheaper per foot than ever).
• Security (it’s more difficult to tap into).
The process can seem daunting, but wireless providers have been through many of these steps before with the transition from 2G to 3G and then to 4G. The introduction of 5G, however, is a different beast and can introduce some significant issues for providers who are not planning now. Carriers need to begin properly planning for fiber routes and getting a handle on cable management. They can also begin to utilize engineering firms who can help plan for proper utilization of existing resources and identify pain points where changes need to be made for the process to flow more smoothly.
Matt Brigham has 23 years in the fiber industry with specialized knowledge of fiber optic cable assembly termination and testing processes, passive optical component integration using WDM/CWDM/DWDM technology and ruggedized microduct systems.
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