The Industrial Revolution has brought us to an era of digitalization, marked by the invention of the internet and smartphones which now has become essential to our lives. The widespread use of mobile increased data demands, forcing infrastructure telecommunication to keep evolving. From cable phones to 4G LTE, information technology never unwinds and continuously assists us on improving lives. While the existence of 4G has tremendously transformed how the world connects, what exactly makes 5G different from 4G, and what can we benefit from the use of 5G?
Qualcomm explains how 5G is going to change the way the world connects and communicates. To put it simply, 5G is the 5th generation of mobile networks advancing from the previous generation such as 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G. It's a wireless technology that enables a new network designed to virtually connect everyone and everything, by all means: objects, devices, and machines. This refers to the enhancement of the Internet of Things (IoT). 5G offers higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds for enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive network capacity and more reliability with increased availability in order to support massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC). Let's break down the three in order to have a deep understanding of 5G.
eMBB
It usually takes minutes or hours to download film or any internet materials with the use of 4G technology. With 5G, it would be reduced to several seconds as it is designed to deliver peak data up to 10 Gpbs. In addition, 5G will also provide much more network capacity and faster data rates. Faster eMBB would transform user experience such as multiplayer VR gaming, shopping with AR, multi-language video chat, and more. It would be possible to virtually attend a conference, or a visit to your dream city, and even watch the NBA Finals from the courtside seats. Generally, it would make the mobile internet experience much faster and more seamless.
URLLC
As stated before, 5G will provide an ultra low latency. In a sense, latency is the time of data deliverance. One-way latency would be the time taken between when the data is sent and when it's received by the recipient, and roundtrip latency is the time between the transmission of data and the reception of acknowledgement.
The impact of 5G's latency would be significant for the use of critical machinery like advanced medical devices that require no room for error. A simple example would be reflected on live streams such as sport matches or video games where deliverance of data can affect response time. The quicker the data is transmitted, the quicker people can respond. With 5G, delays would be decreased by 10 times, so you can watch an online concert without worry about the screen being frozen midway, thus missing your favorite song to sing to.
mMTC
5G technology possesses the ability to capture extensive amounts of data from remote sensors and connected devices. From there, the information would be transmitted into data centers where artificial intelligence and machine learning can be applied. This occurrence would benefit businesses that reside within the IoT sphere such as railways, locomotives, wind turbines, mining tools, digital agriculture and other heavy machineries.
Real time data generated from connected devices can be processed and analysed, enabling faster and better-informed business decisions. For example, environmental business can be provided with data on weather conditions, crop health, mineral and chemical levels and even pest presence, which also would lead to a better and efficient production process such as labor allocations, cost management, waste reduction, and more. Combined with artificial intelligence, 5G will help us in ways we possibly could have imagined.
In Indonesia, 5G already exists but the availability is still limited. Companies like Telkomsel and Indosat are still accelerating their 5G development in order for it to be widely used. All in all, 5G is designed to flexibly support future devices that are not yet introduced to the world today. The 5G enables new services and applications, thus it plays an important role in sustaining the emerging XR technology, UltraHD, 360-degree streaming video, or improving preceding ones like healthcare devices, heavy infrastructure machinery, vehicles, and many more. With (yet again) a breakthrough in technology, the birth of 5G will mark a new era of connectivity.
(HAI/DIR)