5G Technology Components

The targets of 5G networks are beyond the capabilities of existing mobile networks.

Several new technologies are needed to fulfill all those targets. The main new technology components of 5G are:

1. New spectrum. 5G is the first mobile radio technology that is designed to operate on any frequency band between 400MHz and 90 GHz. The low bands are needed for coverage and the high bands for high data rates and capacity. The initial 5G deployments use Time Division Duplex (TDD) between 2.5 and 5.0 GHz, Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) below 2.7 GHz, and TDD at millimeter wave at 24–39 GHz.

 

2. Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) beamforming can increase spectral efficiency and network coverage substantially. Beamforming is more practical at higher frequencies because the antenna size is comparable to the wavelength, and the antenna size becomes smaller at higher frequencies. In practice, massive MIMO can be utilized at frequencies above 1 GHz in the base stations and at millimeter wave even in the devices. Massive MIMO will be part of 5G specifications and deployments from day 1.

 

3. Network slicing. Physical and protocol layers in 5G need flexible design to support different use cases, different frequency bands, and to maximize the energy and spectral efficiency. Network slicing will create virtual network segments for the different services within the same 5G network. This slicing capability allows operators to support different use cases and enterprise customers without having to build dedicated networks.

 

4. Dual connectivity and LTE coexistence. 5G can be deployed as a stand-alone system, but more typically 5G will be deployed together with LTE in the early phase. A 5G device can have simultaneous radio connections to 5G and to LTE. Dual connectivity can make the introduction of 5G simpler, can increase the user data rate and improve reliability. 5G is also designed for LTE coexistence, which makes spectrum sharing feasible and simplifies spectrum re-farming.

    

5. Cloud Optimized Architecture. The current architecture in LTE networks is fully distributed in the radio and fully centralized in the core network. The low latency requires the content to be brought close to the radio, which leads to local breakout and edge computing. Scalability requires the cloud benefits to be brought to the radio networks with edge cloud architecture. 5G radio and core networks are specified for native cloud implementation, including new interfaces inside the radio network.