Application areas
The ITU-R has defined three main application areas for the enhanced capabilities of 5G. They are
Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and
Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC).[10] Only eMBB is deployed in 2020; URLLC and
mMTC are several years away in most locations.
Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) uses 5G as a progression from 4G LTE mobile
broadband services, with faster connections, higher throughput, and more capacity.
Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) refer to using the network for mission
critical applications that require uninterrupted and robust data exchange.
Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) would be used to connect to a large number
of devices, 5G technology will connect some of the 50 billion connected IoT devices.[11] Most will use
the less expensive Wi-Fi. Drones, transmitting via 4G or 5G, will aid in disaster recovery efforts,
providing real-time data for emergency responders.[11] Most cars will have a 4G or 5G cellular
connection for many services. Autonomous cars do not require 5G, as they have to be able to
operate where they do not have a network connection.[12] While remote surgeries have been
performed over 5G, most remote surgery will be performed in facilities with a fiber connection, usually
faster and more reliable than any wireless connection.
Performance
Speed
5G speeds will range from ~50 Mbit/s to over a gigabit.[13] The fastest 5G, known as mmWave. As of
July 3, 2019, mmWave had a top speed of 1.8 Gbit/s[14] on AT&T's 5G network.
Sub-6 GHz 5G (mid-band 5G), by far the most common, will usually deliver between 100 and
400 Mbit/s, but will have a much farther reach than mmWave, especially outdoors.[14]
Low-band spectrum offers the farthest area coverage but is slower than the others.
5G NR speed in sub-6 GHz bands can be slightly higher than the 4G with a similar amount of
spectrum and antennas,[15][16] although some 3GPP 5G networks will be slower than some
advanced 4G networks, such as T-Mobile's LTE/LAA network, which achieves 500+ Mbit/s
in Manhattan[17] and Chicago.[18] The 5G specification allows LAA (License Assisted Access) as well,
but LAA in 5G has not yet been demonstrated. Adding LAA to an existing 4G configuration can add
hundreds of megabits per second to the speed, but this is an extension of 4G, not a new part of the
5G standard.[17]
The similarity in terms of throughput between 4G and 5G in the existing bands is because 4G already
approaches the Shannon limit on data communication rates. 5G speeds in the less
common millimeter wave spectrum, with its much more abundant bandwidth and shorter range, and
hence greater frequency reuseability, can be substantially higher.[19]
Latency
In 5G, the "air latency"[20] in equipment shipping in 2019 is 8–12 milliseconds.[21] The latency to the
server must be added to the "air latency" for most comparisons. Verizon reports the latency on its 5G
early deployment is 30 ms:[22] Edge Servers close to the towers can reduce latency to 10–20 ms; 1–4
ms will be extremely rare for years outside the lab.
Standards
Initially, the term was associated with the International Telecommunication Union's IMT-
2020 standard, which required a theoretical peak download speed of 20 gigabits per second and 10
gigabits per second upload speed, along with other requirements.[23] Then, the industry standards
group 3GPP chose the 5G NR (New Radio) standard together with LTE as their proposal for
submission to the IMT-2020 standard.[24][25]
The first phase of 3GPP 5G specifications in Release-15 is scheduled to complete in 2019. The
second phase in Release-16 is due to be completed in 2020.[26]
5G NR can include lower frequencies (FR1), below 6 GHz, and higher frequencies (FR2), above
24 GHz. However, the speed and latency in early FR1 deployments, using 5G NR software on 4G
hardware (non-standalone), are only slightly better than new 4G systems, estimated at 15 to 50%
better.[27][28][29]
IEEE covers several areas of 5G with a core focus in wireline sections between the Remote Radio
Head (RRH) and Base Band Unit (BBU). The 1914.1 standards focus on network architecture and
dividing the connection between the RRU and BBU into two key sections. Radio Unit (RU) to the
Distributor Unit (DU) being the NGFI-I (Next Generation Fronthaul Interface) and the DU to the
Central Unit (CU) being the NGFI-II interface allowing a more diverse and cost-effective network.
NGFI-I and NGFI-II have defined performance values which should be compiled to ensure different
traffic types defined by the ITU are capable of being carried. 1914.3 standard is creating a new
Ethernet frame format capable of carrying IQ data in a much more efficient way depending on the
functional split utilized. This is based on the 3GPP definition of functional splits. Multiple network
synchronization standards within the IEEE groups are being updated to ensure network timing
accuracy at the RU is maintained to a level required for the traffic carried over it.
5G NR
Main article: 5G NR
5G NR (New Radio) is a new air interface developed for the 5G network.[30] It is supposed to be the
global standard for the air interface of 3GPP 5G networks.[31]
Pre-standard implementations
5GTF: The 5G network implemented by American carrier Verizon for Fixed Wireless
Access in late 2010s uses a pre-standard specification known as 5GTF (Verizon 5G Technical
Forum). The 5G service provided to customers in this standard is incompatible with 5G NR.
There are plans to upgrade 5GTF to 5G NR "Once [it] meets our strict specifications for our
customers," according to Verizon.[32]
5G-SIG: Pre-standard specification of 5G developed by KT Corporation. Deployed at
Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.[33]
Internet of things
In the Internet of things (IoT), 3GPP is going to submit evolution of NB-IoT and eMTC (LTE-M) as 5G
technologies for the LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) use case.[34]
