An Overview of 5G Technology

Unprecedented technological advancements characterize the 21st century. These technologies are aimed at transforming peoples' day-to-day lives, businesses, and cities of residence. An important technology in this regard is the fifth generation of cellular technology (5G), which is an improvement of 4G, its predecessor. Notable technical advances of 5G include new waveforms and frequencies, and cloud-based networks. The 5G technology is smarter than 4G and is characterized by low latency and increased coverage, speed and responsiveness. For the full realization of the benefits associated with 5G technology, appropriate standardization and regulation are requisite. Currently, a solid 5G technology standard does not exist. However, various stakeholders are working towards resolving this through exploration of the most critical 5G functionalities and features. The full realization of 5G’s power is also dependent on its ability to collaborate and complement other emerging technologies. One notable collaboration in this regard is 5G’s coalescence with WiFi 6. Overall, proper deployment of 5G technology is envisaged to result in smart homes, businesses and cities. 

Keywords: 5G, 4G, WiFi 6, Smart Cities, Smart Businesses, Smart Homes 

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND 

The 5G technology is an improvement of the previous generation of cellular technology and is characterized by new technical advancements. Notably, 5G networks will be made up of multiple networks comprised of small cells. These networks will be powered by such new technologies as massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (massive MIMO) and millimeter wave bands (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Qiao et al., 2015; Ge, Cheng, Guizani & Han, 2014). The latter occupy between 30-300 GHz frequencies and provide speeds of up to 20Gbit/s. On the other hand, the former boasts speeds of up to 490 Mbit/s with a bandwidth of between 3.5 and 4.2 GHz. These new technologies will be responsible for handling more cells of different shapes and sizes. This attribute makes 5G technologies smarter than its predecessors (Le et al., 2015; Andrews et al., 2014). Likewise, 5G will have increased coverage, speed and responsiveness. For instance, the technology is expected to be faster than the normal cellular connection or even the fiber optic cable. Another notable benefit of 5G is its low latency (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Le et al., 2015; Qiao et al., 2015; Andrews et al., 2014; Ge et al., 2014). This refers to the time taken between when an individual clicks on a link to send a request to the network, and when the network responds by opening the website or beginning to play a video. Current networks have a latency of about 20 milliseconds. With 5G, this will be reduced to 1 millisecond (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Andrews et al., 2014). This increased responsiveness is envisaged to transform execution of tasks across various sectors due to increased speeds and data capacity. The 5G technology will not only enhance automation but will also facilitate the development of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The 5G technology is expected to reinvent the day-to-day living due to its impact on such ongoing developments as autonomous vehicles, smart cities, Internet of Things (IoT), immersive entertainment, enhanced collaboration and communication in the workplace, and remote surgery among others ( Li, Da Xu & Zhao, 2018; Palattella et al., 2016; Usman, Gebremariam, Raza & Granelli, 2015 ). Driven by numerous technical innovations, anchored on efficient standardization and regulation, and by collaborating with WiFi 6, 5G technology will inevitably transform home environments, corporate entities and cities globally. 

TECHNOLOGY 

Waveforms and Frequencies 

One critical aspect of 5G technology is its influence on mobile cellular communications systems. This development will significantly alter the operations of mobile communications networks. For 5G technology to attain its projected performance, new radio access network, as well as the core network, are requisite. These elements have informed the development of 5G New Radio (5G NR) and 5G NextGen Core Network (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Qiao et al., 2015 ). The 5G NR is the 5G radio access network and comprises of the various elements necessary to power the technology. The system uses a more flexible technology which enables it to respond to the varying and dynamic mobile users’ need irrespective of scope. The 5G NextGen Core Network, on the other hand, is capable of handling the high projected data volumes while providing a lower latency level (Le et al., 2015). 

The dynamism and flexibility of 5G are dependent on the development of new technologies. Key technologies in this regard include millimeter-wave communications, waveforms, multiple access, beam steering massive MIMO, and dense networks (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015). The development of 5G has increased efforts to investigate new access schemes. Notable techniques in this regard include orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), pattern division multiple access (PDMA), multi-user shared access (MUSA), and interleave-division multiple access (IDMA). The most preferred access scheme so far is the OFDM (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Ge et al., 2014). Massive MIMO is currently used in such applications as Wi-Fi and long-term evolution (LTE) among others. However, the number of antennas, in this case, is limited. The use of microwave frequencies will facilitate utilization of multiple antennas on one equipment owing to antenna sizes and wavelength spacing. This characteristic facilitates the steering of beams thus enhancing performance (Andrews et al., 2014). Creation of dense networks is made possible through reduction of cell sizes. This move results in more effective utilization of the available spectrum. Likewise, it facilitates optimal operation of the small cells in the macro-network which may be used as femtocells. Adding high numbers of cells to a network is a challenge presently, although efforts to resolve this are currently ongoing. 

The millimetre-wave communications enable the use of frequencies that are located higher in the frequency spectrum. This attribute not only opens up the spectrum but also offers the likelihood of utilizing a wider channel bandwidth which could fall between 1 and 2 GHz (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015). Despite its advantages, wider channel bandwidth is likely to result in new challenges in handset develop. For instance, the maximum frequencies currently in use are around 2 GHz while the bandwidths range from 10 to 20 MHz. Frequencies of more than 50 GHz are envisaged in 5G which is likely to affect the technology, circuit design, and use of the system (Ge et al., 2014). This is because these frequencies do not travel for long distances and easily absorbed by obstacles. Consequently, different countries are likely to allocate a different spectrum for 5G technology to be effective. 

Another area of interest with regard to 5G technology is the development of new wavelengths. The OFDM has proved to be a success in 4G LTE and other high data rate systems. This is because it offers good spectrum efficiency, is easily handled and processed using processing levels that are compatible with those of today’s devices, and is compatible with wide bandwidths (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015). However, this access scheme faces limitations in some instances. To address this, a number of alternative waveform formats are being considered. These include Filter Bank Multi-Carrier (FBMC), Universal Filtered MultiCarrier (UFMC), and Generalised Frequency Division Multiplexing (GFDM). A perfect waveform does not exist despite these efforts. However, OFDM in the form of orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) is advantageous since it offers better overall performance and is not too heavy on the required level of processing ( Qiao et al., 2015; Ge et al., 2014). 

Introduction of 5G will be coupled with increased processing capabilities of devices. In light of this, the development of new waveforms cannot be ignored. This will be advantageous in various ways. Firstly, OFDM necessitates utilization of a cyclic prefix which takes up space in the data streams. Secondly, new waveforms are associated with increased processing power. All potential 5G applications emphasize a waveform that is capable of providing the required performance (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Le et al., 2015; Andrews et al., 2014). Subsequently, the overall waveform and modulation scheme should be able to handle wide bandwidth signals with high data rate (Andrews et al., 2014). It should also offer low latency transmissions for short and long data bursts. Moreover, the waveform should allow for fast switching between downlink and uplink for the time division duplex (TDD) systems used. Lastly, the waveform ought to enable energy-efficient communications. 

Cloud-Based Networking 

The 5G chain is comprised of the cloud, pipe, and the specific devices. Currently, the evolution of pipe and devices architectures are being accelerated by network transmission technologies, cross-generation and innovative evolutionary wireless terminals, and base station air interferes. Nevertheless, cloud data centers are the primary components of the 5G digital ecosystem and will play a vital role in its evolution ( Qiao et al., 2015 ). To meet 5G service and network requirements, the cloud data centers have to be flexible, open, intelligent, distributed, and efficient ( Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015 ). An open architecture implies that a single vendor does not lock all the cloud services at different levels. Rather, the 5G era data centers mainstream open-source applications and service APIs as required by the industry standards (Ge et al., 2014). This infrastructure is anchored on OpenStack storage, computing and network service APIs. The APIs are used for data operations and queries based on such database and big data standards as MySQL, Hadoop, Spark, and Redis. 

For efficient transmission of data, 5G networks need bandwidth and transmission rates that are up to 100 times higher than those of 4G networks ( Le et al., 2015) . Further, higher latency and reliability is required owing to such applications as ultra-HD video, auto-pilot functionality, VR, and intelligent manufacturing. It is challenging for 5G cloud data centers to deliver ultra-low latency and ultra-high throughput, particularly when confronted with storage-intensive and network-intensive workloads ( Palattella et al., 2016 ). For instance, 5G enabled IoT is characterized by vast amounts of data from distributed edge nodes and IoT terminals in numerous industries. This data should be stored, analyzed, aggregated, managed and processed in a centralized cloud data center. The increased amount of data moving to and from data centers results in an intensified demand for more data traffic in the same data center ( Palattella et al., 2016 ). The result is that there is a need for high-speed optics connected to the data center, which is likely to transform the optics industry. 

The 5G networks are expected to be flexible so as to orchestrate as well as reassemble network slices. This can only be made possible by quick deployment. Further, most routing network and physical network access functions and applications will be deployed in cloud data centers that are centralized and large-scale (Andrews et al., 2014). Such functions and applications include big data, IoT core service and deep learning (Palattella et al., 2016). Distributed cloud data centers will enable 5G IoT device access as well as the corresponding application platforms. It will also enable the various third-party applications that are located in distributed sites. When organized this way, the data centers can support numerous hosts. The advent of 5G will lead to the generation of huge amounts of data. To learn and generate strategies and valuable information from this data, a highly efficient and intelligent engine which is also easy to configure is necessary. 

Regulation and Standardization 

Similar to its previous counterparts, the development of 5G technology is anchored on the need to offer universal service to users while increasing or maintaining profitability. The two aspects are dependent on smart and novel technologies. However, the need for profitability is a key impediment in the development of regulatory agreements that are necessary for speeding up the acceptance of interoperability on different infrastructural levels ( Morgado, Huq, Mumtaz & Rodriguez, 2018; Suryanegara, 2016 ). It is such agreements that enable full exploitation of dynamic access technologies. With regard to 5G technology, the envisaged highly personalized and ubiquitous communication can only be made possible through technology and site sharing, backward compatibility, convergence, and availability of adequate regulatory agreements ( Morgado et al., 2018; Suryanegara, 2016 ). The 5G technology is a universally deployable and converging technology whose implementation will enhance wireless applications and services while its coverage extends from cities, to countries, and the world continents. 

The challenges associated with the standardization of 5G technology are multifaceted. This is particularly the case due to the technology's global outlook. The problems are also dependent on the complexity of usage scenarios and the emerging user ( Morgado et al., 2018 ). Likewise, the 5G technology, as opposed to single-purpose wireless systems, will experience challenges of operating an increased number of mixed networked devices capable of communicating not only with each other but also with robots and other people in a bid to meet the high-level and dynamic expectations of users. The technology will have the capacity to follow users irrespective of location and adapt its traffic capabilities on-demand so as to satisfy both service and user requirements. Thus, standardization of 5G technology has to respond to the increased demand for dynamic, data-rich, universal, and user-centric applications (Andrews et al., 2014). Notably, the user-centric notion entails maintenance of trust and protection of privacy which are critical elements in the world today. 

Currently, a solid 5G technology standard is absent. However, various stakeholders are keenly exploring the most critical 5G functionalities and features. The parties involved in this process include the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the 3 rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) ( Morgado et al., 2018; Palattella et al., 2016; Suryanegara, 2016) . The 3GPP is a communications-focused entity and is comprised of seven telecommunications organizations that are involved in developing standards. It also boasts supporting-member companies and is involved in the formulation of 5G technical specifications which are expected to become standards eventually. The initial release of specifications for the 5G technology was done in 2017 and was comprised of such aspects as the checkpoints and tasks that ought to guide the next generation 5G architecture studies as well as 5G NR (Ge et al., 2014). Areas of focus include frequency ranges; enhanced mobile broadband; the importance of protocol design and forward compatibility; and low latency and ultra-reliability. 

The IETF is a standards body that is developing basic specifications for the virtualization functions developing IP protocols in support of network virtualization. A good example is the Service Function Chaining (SFC), which is expected to link 5G architecture's virtualized components into one path. This will subsequently be vital in the dynamic linkage and creation of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). Other efforts include the development of routing-related testing such as segment routing, distributed networking protocols, and path computation which are aimed at meeting 5G NR constraints. The IETF works closely with 3GPP. The ITU is a United Nations (UN) agency whose focus in on information and communication technologies (ICTs). The agency is charged with coordinating the sharing of radio spectrum globally ( Morgado et al., 2018 ). The ITU has previously identified three spectrum bands for use by 5G technologies and refined the criteria for selecting 5G radio interface technologies. From a previous study, the agency identified the standards that are vital in meeting the technology’s performance targets. These included concentration on fixed wireless convergence, network management framework, network architecture, and network management requirements ( Suryanegara, 2016 ). While progress has been made towards the finalization of a single 5G standard, more needs to be done in the future. 

5G AND WI-FI 6 

As the 5G technology slowly becomes a reality, there has been increased debate on whether or not this technology will replace WiFi or affect the network. However, the angle taken by this debate is dependent on the likelihood of the proposed coalescence of the two (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Qiao et al., 2015 ). Nevertheless, WiFi and 5G technologies are expected to continue operating as separate entities in the short term. The 5G technology is not likely to replace WiFi due to several reasons. Firstly, the majority of current and future devices that are WiFi-only such as computer peripherals, entertainment systems, and tablets will not be phased out any time soon. Thus, replacement of WiFi in the short term is not feasible from a customer-base point of view. Secondly, business enterprises still find WiFi technology useful since it helps them in meeting their multi-connectivity goals (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015). As opposed to shrinking, the WiFi market is growing. Moreover, WiFi technology is conversant with dense deployment which is a crucial attribute of 5G. 

The need for the coexistence of 5G and WiFi cannot be overstated. Since the most significant proportion of wireless traffic is driven by WiFi, there is a need for WiFi to evolve so as to accommodate 5G in the future. This would entail evolving WiFi to 5G and ensuring that 5G is part of the WiFi domain. One of the products of the collaboration between 5G and WiFi 6 is fixed wireless. Fixed wireless can be used to offer internet access via a wireless network as opposed to the use of fixed lines (Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Ge et al., 2014). Likewise, the fixed wireless can make use of such 5G models as beamforming and millimeter wave bands to strengthen wireless broadband services. The advent of WiFi 6 points towards WiFi's ability to support the delivery of current 5G use cases in an economically viable way. Integration of WiFi and 5G can also be done using above-the-core centric solutions, core-centric solutions, and access centric solutions. Other benefits include increased speed, less crowding hence more reliable speeds, access to more channels, dynamic management of devices due to their ‘smartness,’ and increasingly silent frequency ( Li et al., 2018 ). The disadvantages of the collaboration include the costs associated with integration and increased obstruction. 

APPLICATIONS 

Home 

The use of 5G technologies at home is only made possible through the revolution in low-cost transmitters, sensors, and the cloud-based IoT which is comprised of smart or connected devices. Currently, IoT products are stand-alone and include connected appliances, smart thermostats, fitness monitors, programmable light bulbs and locks among others (Palattella et al., 2016). However, in the future, 5G networks will allow billions of other things to not only go online but also to receive tremendous data amounts (Palattella et al., 2016; Chávez-Santiago et al., 2015; Andrews et al., 2014). Likewise, 5G will grow beyond such aspects as refrigerators that can reorder milk automatically to the creation of fully integrated living spaces that are capable of adjusting to every family member's needs. These spaces will also be able to offer home security, personalize entertainment, and optimize water and power usage ( Li et al., 2018 ). Smart homes will also be more energy efficient and beneficial to the aging population. Specifically, 5G will help monitor the seniors’ medications, track such aspects as sleep and insulin levels, and link them to telehealth services among other benefits. 

Business/Corporate 

In the corporate world, the projected benefits of 5G have resulted in a race between all key players to integrate the technology in their operations and plan for rollout in such huge markets as the United States (U.S) and China. Businesses and corporate entities will benefit from 5G technology in various ways. The faster data transfer and download speeds will give enterprises the power to offer better experiences and services. Likewise, since these applications will be able to handle increased outgoing and incoming data, they will be in a position to do more. For instance, enhanced and consistent performance is likely due to low latency rates (Andrews et al., 2014). Increased data transfer speed will be vital for businesses that rely on cloud-based solutions. These speeds will result in more responsive, powerful and functional solutions. Business software and technologies will also be more productive and useful for remote workers. The faster 5G network speeds will help in streamlining communications within organizations irrespective of their location. 

Collaborations on data-rich, large project will be easily supported by while weak connections that may be associated with video and phone conferences will be reduced drastically leading to more efficient and productive digital meetings. The 5G networks will lead to strong internet services to better support IoT devices while putting little pressure on an entity’s available bandwidth ( Li et al., 2018; Palattella et al., 2016). Consequently, IoT solutions will be easy to implement, and with the addition of more devices to the network, concerns of straining the network will be minimized. The application of this technology will also depend on the industry of operation and needs of a given organization. For instance, in the transportation and shipping sectors, 5G technology will help improve fleet management and tracking. This is likely to result in efficient operations and reduced consumption of fuel. 

Metropolitan Area Networks 

In cities, 5G technologies will help in powering smart energy grids, autonomous vehicles and connected grids (Andrews et al., 2014). These developments will assist in improving the quality of utility and government services while enhancing public health, safety and urban sustainability (Usman et al., 2015 ) . Specific applications of this technology include smart streetlights, prompt reporting of crime, and sensors that can monitor such aspects as parking spaces, quality of air, and collection of garbage. Connecting roads, vehicles and related transportation infrastructure is likely to ensure automatic reporting of road repairs and reduce traffic congestion. On the other hand, vehicle-to-vehicle communication will direct traffic flow for autonomous trucks and cars (Palattella et al., 2016). Smart cities will result in reduced operating costs, capital and insurance for the taxpayers. Such -cities also have minimal vehicle-related accidents since autonomous vehicles reduce human error significantly (Usman et al., 2015). 

CONCLUSION 

The 5G technology is envisaged to transform home environments, operations of corporate entities as well as cities. This transformation will be driven by the technology’s technical advances like new waveforms and frequencies, and 5G cloud-based networks. These technologies will handle more cells of different shapes and sizes which makes 5G technology smarter than 4G which is its predecessor. The technology is characterized by low latency and increased coverage, speed and responsiveness. Realization of the benefits associated with 5G technology is dependent on its appropriate standardization and regulation. While a solid 5G technology standard is absent, numerous stakeholders are currently exploring the most critical 5G functionalities and features. The full realization of 5G’s power is also dependent on such collaborations as its coalescence with WiFi 6. Ultimately, 5G technology will power smart homes, businesses and cities. 

LIST OF REFERENCES 

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