5G adoption is in full swing, delivering higher-bandwidth, lower-latency, and higher-reliability networks. There are over 1,900 cities globally with 5G networks (as of May 2022), with the addition of 635 new 5G cities in 2021, according to Viavi Solutions Inc.’s annual “The State of 5G” report.
The study also finds that most 5G networks deployed are nonstandalone (NSA) networks, which means the 5G equipment is added to existing 4G network infrastructure, and there are 24 standalone (SA) 5G networks globally, which are built using a new 5G core network.
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The report also indicates a growing Open RAN (O-RAN) ecosystem, with mobile operators as well as software and infrastructure vendors working in collaboration to develop an open, virtualized radio access network (RAN) with embedded artificial-intelligence control. Viavi reported that 64 operators have announced participation in the development of O-RAN networks as of March 2022.
This month’s issue looks at some of the challenges and technology advances in the deployment of 5G wireless networks. These include challenges at the component level around RF, power, and timing and synchronization, as well as testing.
“The higher bandwidth and faster speeds of 5G require improved timing precision, accuracy, and reliability,” wrote James Wilson, vice president and general manager of Skyworks Solutions Inc.
It’s only been recently that mobile operators have “begun to lay the groundwork for true 5G SA networks, which require more than a simple radio or firmware upgrade,” Wilson reported.
Allowing for real-time interactivity and enabling advanced AI capabilities across many more connected devices, 5G needs much higher bandwidth and drastically faster speeds, resulting in “exceptionally stringent” timing requirements for 5G networks, he said.
Wilson also calls the standardization created by IEEE 1588 and O-RAN game-changers for the mobile industry to simplify the deployment of 5G networks.
Timing is not the only challenge that designers face. Due to their higher bandwidth and lower latency, 5G mobile networks also require higher-performing and more efficient power devices, according to contributing writer Stefano Lovati.
It also means a move to wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors. “While silicon still offers excellent performance at lower frequencies, WBG semiconductors like gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) power ICs are more suitable for above-6-GHz and millimeter-wave applications,” Lovati said.
Lovati discusses a sampling of RF power ICs suitable for 5G applications. They include a range of GaN and GaN-on-SiC devices.
5G networks with the use of multiple sub-1-GHz, 1- to 6-GHz, and above-6-GHz (millimeter-wave frequencies) frequency bands, together with increased bandwidth, low latency, high data rates, and high connection density, also make RF front-end (RFFE) modules a critical component in these networks, said Lovati.
But it also creates “design challenges like beamforming and 5G NR massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), which require a completely different approach to the design of RFFE solutions,” he reported. He discusses some solutions to these challenges like the need for highly integrated and higher-efficiency RFFEs that support more frequency bands and antennas, as well as the adoption of WBG materials.
Testing poses another big challenge. This is where software-defined radios (SDRs) have a role to play, said Brendon McHugh, field application engineer at Per Vices. He discusses how SDRs can benefit 5G test and measurement in every development aspect, including antenna design, signal-processing algorithms, propagation studies, channel-estimation techniques, and latency evaluation.
McHugh also discusses the SDR’s compatibility with testing protocols on O-RAN. He calls it “an increasingly important network architecture providing interoperability to the immense amount of different radio protocols, frequency tunings, and bandwidth requirements needed for future massive device connectivity.”
While 6G networks are still years away, it’s no surprise that 6G discussions are underway, particularly with speed, low latency, and security as top priorities for Industry 4.0, according to Harald Remmert, CTO for cellular solutions at Digi International.
“While 5G primarily brings faster internet speeds and greater security than Wi-Fi on smartphones and other connected devices through cellular networks, 6G technology will offer dramatic improvements,” he wrote. “Although not expected to be operational until 2030, 6G will provide speeds as high as 1 terabit per second on an IoT device — 1,000× faster than 1 Gbit/s, which is the fastest speed available on most of today’s home internet connections.”
He said technology experts need “to cut through the hype and work diligently with customers and markets to understand the problems we’re trying to solve — and introduce the right products at the right time.”
Don’t miss the roundup of the top 10 5G chips, modules, and platforms for 5G applications. These solutions are delivering greater flexibility, higher power efficiency, and improved AI to boost performance in applications from smartphones to base stations.
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