5G small cell deployment scenarios and use cases. Source: IDTechEx-"5G Small Cells 2021-2031: Technology, Market, and Forecast" (www.IDTechEx.com/5GSmallCells)
5G is a group of improved and updated mobile communication technologies, as well as new features due to the addition of two new high-frequency bands: sub-6 GHz (3.5 – 7 GHz) and millimeter wave (>24 GHz). The low frequency band has a long propagation distance, but the bandwidth is limited, and the time is extended; while the high frequency band is the opposite, with a short propagation distance, large bandwidth, and ultra-low delay. Despite the limitation of propagation range, the high throughput and ultra-low latency of 5G (especially millimeter wave) enable it to enter various high-value fields, such as 3D robot control, virtual reality monitoring, and remote medical control that were not possible with early technology. 5G is positioned as a technology that will redefine and accelerate many industries and ultimately change people's work and lifestyle.
How about the global 5G deployment in 2021?
5G is recognized as an important infrastructure for developed and developing countries. By the end of 2021, 79 countries have achieved 5G commercialization or are conducting 5G trials. According to IDTechEx's research, further understanding of the most commonly used frequency is below 6 GHz. This frequency band is used for more than half of 5G commercial deployments and paths, and only a small portion uses millimeter waves. So far, only 9 countries have commercialized 5G millimeter waves. However, this is not surprising, because the main limitation of millimeter wave transmission is their low propagation range. Telecom companies will not use millimeter wave frequency bands for national coverage. It can be seen from the deployment strategy of telecom operators that low frequency bands (such as 700MHz) are used for national coverage, sub-6GHz frequency bands are used for urban coverage, and millimeter waves are used for hot spots in large cities.
In its latest 5G research market report "5G Technology, Market and Forecast 2022-2032", IDTechEx specifically studied the deployment strategies of 5 key regions in the United States, China, Europe, Japan and South Korea. For each region, IDTechEx focuses on two aspects: government strategies and telecom operators' 5G deployment strategies. The following two paragraphs show a high-level review of the deployment status in the United States and China; for more information, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/5G.
Government: Compared with other countries, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released millimeter wave spectrum earlier. It was not until earlier this year that the FCC finally released a frequency band below 6 GHz. Dismantling and replacing Huawei equipment is still a top priority, and the government subsidizes small-scale operators to do so. In view of the lack of a dominant 5G telecommunications equipment supplier in the United States, the FCC has also been supporting the development of Open RAN.
Telecom operators: Each operator holds a different part of the 5G spectrum (for example: Verizon has the most millimeter wave holdings). Therefore, each 5G deployment strategy is different. For example, Verizon has invested heavily in millimeter wave deployment, but T-Mobile prioritizes mid- and low-band expansion. Thanks to the acquisition of Sprint, T-Mobile currently has the widest mid-band coverage (using 2.5 GHz). After the C-band (frequency below 6 GHz) auction earlier this year, both AT&T and Verizon announced plans to launch mid-band services this year, with the goal of covering 100 million people by 2022.
Government: The Chinese government is vigorously promoting the development of 5G countries. In April 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the 5G application "Sailing" action plan (2021-2023), paving the way for the promotion of 5G applications. Three key performance indicators (KPIs) were determined: increasing the penetration rate of 5G users to more than 40%, increasing the 5G network access traffic to more than 50%, and increasing the penetration rate of 5G in large enterprises to more than 35%. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has not released the millimeter wave spectrum. Although China plans to use the 2022 Winter Olympics as a test bed for millimeter wave deployment, it is expected to be released soon.
Telecom operators: A trend seen in China is that operators are building a shared network infrastructure together. For example: by May 2021, China Telecom and China Unicom will jointly build 460,000 5G base stations.
What are the important technological developments/trends of 5G now?
Although 5G has been commercialized, there are still many technological developments in progress. In this article, IDTechEx discusses 4 key points:
Lighter Massive MIMO Sub-6 GHz Radio Race: A key part of deploying massive 5G networks using Massive MIMO equipment is that the radio must be light-weight and small, as these features will help operators save a lot of money overall deploy. This is where silicon comes in. The performance of silicon will have a huge impact on the basic aspects of the radio, such as connectivity, capacity, power consumption, product size and weight, and ultimately cost. In the field of 5G systems, all of these are crucial. IDTechEx has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the silicon industry and its impact on the development of 5G in the "2022-2032 5G Technology, Market and Forecast" report.
The 5G market is about to take off. According to IDTechEx data, by the end of 2032, consumer mobile services are expected to generate 800 billion U.S. dollars in revenue, and the 5G macro infrastructure market will expand 7 times compared to 2020. Other key points include: