Here are some 5G trends for year 2020:
It looked like 5G and wireless dominated the airways in 2019. It seems that year 2020 will be a real test for 5G if it will really take on or fails to full-fill the big expectations. It seems that 5G networks are available at some place here and there from many operators, but 5G end user devices are not yet widely available or desired. New year will bring more 5G base stations.
5G: How Much is Real vs. Marketing? Is 5G ready for prime time? Breaking down the marketing hype versus what’s really going on in the industry. Marketing claims 5G is pervasive. The question is when: 2020 or is it 2025?
First, let’s define 5G also known as 5G New Radio, or 5G NR:
There is sub-6-GHz 5G for the cellphone protocol that requires LTE: 5G NSA.
There is sub-6-GHz standalone 5G: 5G SA.
There is 20- to 60-GHz 5G: 5G mmWave.
It seems that 2020 will be the real test for 5G devices as the 5G device mass market has not yet really started. Samsung says it shipped 6.7M+ Galaxy 5G phones globally in 2019, accounting for 53.9% of the 5G phone market (Galaxy S10 5G and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G). 2020 is expected to be an interesting year for 5G growth across the smartphone market. Increased 5G rollouts by carriers means that customers will presumably be more interested in actually buying 5G devices. One June 2019 forecast made by Canalys has global 5G smartphone shipments crossing 4G smartphone shipments in 2023.
5G will be integrated to some PCs. Dell debuts a new Latitude 9510 laptop with built-in 5G, to launch March 26.
Ericsson says they are now 5G networks leader according to Ericsson ylitti odotukset kirkkaasti: ”Olemme 5g-johtaja” article. Nokia has cut its outlook for this year and next because of the need to step up its investments in 5G but ‘We don’t have a 5G problem,’ says Nokia’s head of software.
5G will be a good growing market for test device manufacturers as engineers will once again need to sharpen their skill sets and adopt new design and testing techniques. A lot of 5G Component Characterization and Test will be needed.Delivering 5G Devices to Market Will Bank on OTA Testing.
Network side needs also testing equipment. One approach being adopted to gain ground in the race to 5G involves the rapid prototyping and testing of network architectures. There is need for programmable RF devices. Industry seems to want their own private networks.
5G components are available from many sources already. The typical RF component suppliers are all providing 5G solutions: Avago/Broadcom, Huawei, MediaTek, Murata/pSemi (previously known as Peregrine), Qualcomm, Qorvo, Samsung, and Skyworks.
Challenges: Even the sub-6-GHz versions have technical issues in that the 5G target “air time” latency is 1 to 4 ms. Typical RF component manufacturers appear to be providing components that focus only on the sub-6-GHz frequency bands. The geopolitical situation relative to 5G also adds confusion to the 5G timeline.
There are many technical issues must be considered in the utilization of mmWave: mmWave frequencies travel relatively small distances. the mmWave transmitters consume a considerable amount of transmit power, providing additional challenges for battery-operated devices.
5G in automotive: The automobile industry is experiencing exponential growth of self-driving features, and this trend is expected to continue. 5G network connections are expected to have a major influence on the development of self-driving cars making them faster, smarter, and safer. Where is car technology going in 2020?
As 5G work has started for many installers and marketers, the the researchers are already thinking about the nest step Beyond 5G chips. They are already planning technologies that could enable high-speed wireless devices beyond the 5G standard.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Slogging Toward 5G
Do you really want it? Do you really need it? Here’s the latest state-of-the-state for the embattled technology.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/communiqu/article/21131838/slogging-toward-5g
What more can we say about 5G that hasn’t already been said? If you’ve followed this hype-loaded saga, you probably already know what’s going on. But as a casual observer, you may not be aware of the latest activities. Here’s a quickie update.
We’ve been hearing about 5G New Radio or 5G NR for years now. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) started working on this standard even before the LTE standard was complete. LTE, or 4G as some want to call it, turned out to be an exceptional wireless technology that most everyone is happy with. However, the industry and the standards people seemed hell-bent to work on 5G. And now that we’re nearing the end of the 5G development, we’re finally beginning to see real 5G action.
The stated goals of the 3GPP for 5G are:
Deliver enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) speed up to 20 Gb/s and increase subscriber capacity about 100X the current levels. You won’t get that speed in practice, but you should see download speeds from 100 Mb/s to 1 Gb/s.
Deliver ultra-reliable low-latency (< 1 ms) communications (URLLC) for critical applications.
Implement massive machine-type communications (mMTC). Inclusion of LPWAN standards like LTE-M and NB-IoT will boost IoT applications.
Those are tough goals, but most are being achieved.
What’s Holding the U.S. Back?
There are a couple of reasons for the slow progress toward a nationwide 5G network. First, as most of you know, there are still some spectrum shortages. 5G takes a great deal of bandwidth to fully achieve the peak goals stated for it. Channel widths typically run 20 MHz, but they can be 40, 80, or even 160 MHz when using the advanced orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation modes. That kind of bandwidth just doesn’t exist for some carriers.
The FCC is working on the problem by trying to acquire unused or vacant spectrum from current holders of suitable spectrum. Once they get it, the FCC wants to auction it off to the highest bidder.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ian Fogg / Opensignal:
Analysis of ten 5G operators across US, S. Korea, UK, and Australia finds that while Verizon has the fastest 5G speeds, its users see 5G just 0.5% of the time — Understanding the extent to which 5G improves the mobile experience is critical both for consumers considering upgrading to 5G …
Quantifying the global 5G experience across ten operators
https://www.opensignal.com/2020/05/20/quantifying-the-global-5g-experience-across-ten-operators
Understanding the extent to which 5G improves the mobile experience is critical both for consumers considering upgrading to 5G and also for the mobile industry that’s planning how quickly to invest in 5G. We’ve looked at how the 5G experience compares in four leading countries — Australia, South Korea, the U.S. and the U.K. — across ten 5G operators that all launched 5G well over six months ago. This new analysis complements our recent look at how 5G compares with Wifi, and further examines the world one year after the first 5G launches in South Korea and the U.S. that offered 5G services to smartphone users.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mary-Ann Russon / BBC:
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre is conducting a new review into the impact of allowing Huawei telecom equipment to be used in British 5G networks
Fresh UK review into Huawei role in 5G networks
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52792587
The UK government is conducting a new review into the impact of allowing Huawei telecoms equipment to be used in British 5G networks.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) involvement comes after the US brought fresh sanctions against the Chinese company, citing security fears.
In January, the UK resisted US pressure to ban Huawei from contributing to 5G.
A NCSC spokesman said: “The security and resilience of our networks is of paramount importance.”
“Following the US announcement of additional sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC is looking carefully at any impact they could have to the UK’s networks.”
The sanctions restrict Huawei from using US technology and software to design its semiconductors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huutokaupassa myydään taajuudet kolmelle teleoperaattorille
https://www.is.fi/digitoday/mobiili/art-2000006520491.html
Suomen 5g-verkon ylätaajuuksien eli niin sanotun 26 gigahertsin
taajuusalueen huutokauppa alkaa vajaan kahden viikon kuluttua
maanantaina 8.6.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokian 26 gigahertsin 5G-tukiasemat älypylväisiin
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/05/28/nokian-26-gigahertsin-5g-tukiasemat-alypylvaisiin/
Nokia-vetoinen LuxTurrim5G-hanke etenee systemaattisesti tutkimusvaiheesta kohti käytäntöä. Hankkeen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa kehitetty 5G-älypylväskonsepti, jossa valopylväisiin on tuotu myös Nokian 5G-ja WLAN-tukiasemien ohella mittaus- ja anturitoimintoja.
LuxTurrim5G-ekosysteemin kehittämistä 5G-älypylväistä on rakennettu supernopea ja laajasti dataa keräävä ja hyödyntävä tieto- ja anturiverkko Espoon Keraan. Kaikkiaan Keran rautatieasemlta Nokian Espoon kampukselta ulottuvaan älyreittiin kuuluu nyt 19 uusinta 5G-teknologiaa käyttävää älypylvästä ja kaikkiaan noin 250 toisiinsa kytkettyä laitetta.
”Kyseessä on maailmanlaajuisesti ainutlaatuinen älykaupunkipilotti, joka mahdollistaa supernopean ja lyhytviiveisen 5G-verkon, laajan sensoriverkon ja data-alustan kautta uudenlaisia digitaalisia palveluja kaupungille, kaupunkilaisille ja kaupunkiyhteisölle”, sanoo projektipäällikkö Pekka Wainio Nokia Bell Labsista.
Pilottipylväiden suunnittelusta ja valmistuksesta päävastuun ovat kantaneet Tehomet ja Orbis.
Nokian yhteistyökumppaneidensa kanssa rakentamassa älypylväsverkossa on itsessään noin 250 toisiinsa kytkettyä laitetta, muun muassa kolme uuden sukupolven 5G-tukiasemaa (26 GHz, Nokia), yli 50 WiFi-laitetta (60 GHz), 75 videokameraa, 49 erilaista ympäristöön liittyvää anturia monitoroimassa ilmanlaatua, säätä, lämpötilaa, ja hiilidioksidipitoisuuksia ym. (Vaisala), yhdeksän tutkalaitetta (kuusi liikennetutkaa, kolme valotutkaa), seitsemän infonäyttöä, sähköautojen latausasema sekä droonin lataus- ja laskeutumisasema pylvään päässä (Rumble Tools).
Älypylväiden ohella LuxTurrim5G-testiverkkoon kuuluu kaksi älylinja-autopysäkkiä (Teleste, Connected Zone-konsepti) ja erillinen kaupunki-informaationäyttö, jotka toimivat esimerkkinä eri sensoreiden integroinnista urbaanin kaupungin infrastruktuurissa oleviin elementteihin. Droonit ja itseohjautuvat ajoneuvot kuten robottibussi (Sensible 4) ovat niin ikään tärkeä osa pilottikokonaisuutta, jossa kehitetään älykaupungin infrastruktuuria, toiminnallisuutta ja palveluja hyvin kokonaisvaltaisesti.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Edullisen hintaluokan 5G-puhelinten myynti alkaa kesäkuussa. Elisa tuo ensimmäisenä ennakkomyyntiin 399 euron hintaisen Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G -puhelimen. Tähän asti 5G-puhelimia on ollut tarjolla vain valmistajien premium-malleissa.
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/05/29/5g-puhelimia-pian-halvemmalla/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Britain Pushing US to Form 5G Club of Nations to Cut Out Huawei
https://www.securityweek.com/britain-pushing-us-form-5g-club-nations-cut-out-huawei
Britain said Friday it was pushing the United States to form a club of 10 nations that could develop its own 5G technology and reduce dependence on China’s controversial telecoms giant Huawei.
The issue is expected to feature at a G7 summit that US President Donald Trump will host next month against the backdrop of a fierce confrontation with China that has been exacerbated by a global blame game over the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Britain has allowed the Chinese global leader in 5G technology to build up to 35 percent of the infrastructure necessary to roll out its new speedy data network.
“We (are) seeking new entrants into the market in order to diversify and that is something we’ve been speaking with our allies about, including the United States,” the Downing Street spokesman said.
- Few options -
Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson are Europe’s only current alternative options for supplying 5G equipment such as antennas and relay masts.
“We need new entrants to the market,” a UK government source told The Times.
“That was the reason we ended up having to go along with Huawei at the time.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10822-5g-puhelimen-saa-kohta-alle-400-eurolla
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10824-suomalainen-ostaa-yha-4g-puhelimen
Tomi Engdahl says:
Unlock 5G potential with EUHT
https://www.eetimes.com/unlock-5g-potential-with-euht/
This year is being touted as the beginning of a new era, economic pressures notwithstanding, as 5G transforms many existing applications and eventually spawns new ones. Market analysis firm, IHS Markit, for instance, sees 5G providing for $13.2 trillion in global sales and supporting 22.3 million jobs by 2035. Another analyst, Gartner, believes just the 5G infrastructure market will reach $4.2 billion with two-thirds of companies deploying 5G this year.
Fair words, indeed, at a time when businesses are experiencing supply as well as demand disruptions.
But before those new applications and associated revenue streams can be realized, the numerous players in this industry must collaborate and agree on standards.
Standards define performance
The standards set by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) define the performance targets for IMT-2020(5G) radio interface technologies (RIT) and sets of RIT (SRIT).
Peak Data Rate: 20 Gbps downlink, 10 Gbps uplink per mobile base station
Average (real-world) Speed: User download speeds of 100 Mbps, and upload speeds of 50 Mbps
Latency: Less than 1 ms for critical services
User Equipment (UE) Mobility: Support for high-speed UE mobility – up to over 500 km/h (311 mph)
Connection Density: Simultaneous connections of up to 1 million devices per square kilometer
Radio Efficiency: Switching to low-power mode within 10 ms of idle time
Spectral Efficiency: Higher spectral efficiency than LTE at 30 bits/Hz for downlink and 15 bits/Hz for uplink
Tomi Engdahl says:
Non-Terrestrial 5G: The Growing Role of Satellites and the mmWave Infrastructure
https://www.mwrf.com/technologies/systems/article/21132195/nonterrestrial-5g-the-growing-role-of-satellites-and-the-mmwave-infrastructure?utm_source=RF+MWRF+Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200519014&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
On the ground and in space, next-generation wireless infrastructure will exploit the millimeter-wave spectrum to enable 5G’s large data rates, using satellites in the Ka-band (and beyond) to supplement 5G.
Next-generation wireless infrastructure will leverage millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum to enable the large data rates necessary to meet 5G’s key performance indicators (KPI). Not only is this spectrum leveraged for the terrestrial network, but also in space by utilizing current (and future) satellite installations in the Ka-band (and beyond) to supplement 5G.
Set for delivery in 2021, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP) Release 17 will introduce several use cases for the 5G satellite network that include the various satellite technologies available with geostationary-orbiting (GEO), medium-earth-orbiting (MEO), and newer low-earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites. The satellite-communications (SATCOM) industry is already putting vast amounts of R&D into developing seamless integration of 5G platforms with network virtualization; this integration affects the entire satellite infrastructure from the ground segment to the space segment.
Traditional fixed satellite service (FSS) involves large GEO satellites that service swaths of land as vast as continents with only a few beams to few user terminals.
Soon, these satellites will achieve terabit capacities by moving up the spectrum even further from the Ka-band to the Q/V-bands for thousands of spot beams.
LEO constellations comprise an array of small satellites and ground stations that can inter-communicate with ground-to-ground station (G2G) links, satellite-to-satellite (S2S) links, ground-to-satellite (G2S) links, and satellite-to-ground (S2G) links. The LEO constellations have the massive benefit of much lower latency; a GEO satellite orbiting at 35,000 km has an end-to-end delay at 280 ms, while a LEO satellite orbiting at 350 to 1,200 km drops that delay down to 6 to 30 ms, respectively.
Much of the enabling technology behind realizing seamless LEO connectivity falls upon the ability of the user terminals to perform handoffs between satellites.
Transparent vs. Regenerative Payload
Much of the 3GPP study on satellite integration into the 5G network involves the use of a regenerative payload within the satellite, allowing it to be a distributed unit (DU), or even a full gNB (5G base station) supporting a satellite-enabled new radio, radio access network (NR-RAN). The more traditional, transparent payload technology simply “mirrors” received signals and transmits only an amplified version of the signal with frequency conversion from uplink to downlink frequencies.
A regenerative payload is possible with on-board processing (OBP) that’s either a digital transparent processor (DTP) or a fully regenerative (FR) transponder. When FR transponders include advanced functionalities such as encoding/decoding, the DTP transponder can enhance signal performance with efficient routing or increase spectral efficiency of the feeder link. The OBP is placed between the LNA and the HPA to convert the air interface between the uplink and the downlink.
Several feasible satellite architectures could be integrated with the terrestrial 5G network, depending on the type of payload used (Fig. 2). A transparent payload will function as an RF remote unit, transmitting signals from a ground-based RRU and gNB. A regenerative payload can function either as a DU with some NR processing capabilities or as a fully functional gNB.
According to 3GPP TR 22.822, there are three main use cases for satellite integration in 5G: service scalability, service ubiquity, and service continuity. These use cases also directly correlate with the four use cases presented by the EU’s SaT5G project:
Fixed backhaul for hard-to-reach areas
Complementary service for underserved areas
Complementary broadband connectivity at the edge
Moving platforms
Service ubiquity involves providing cellular access to “underserved” areas, or to areas in which the entire infrastructure could be shut down by a natural disaster. While this includes service to residences in rural areas, it can also involve applications that reside in underserved areas such as public safety/emergency networks as well as commercial/industrial IoT applications covering a large geographical area (e.g., smart agriculture; oil and gas pipelines/asset tracking).
Satellite scalability directly intends to take advantage of satellites’ inherent multicasting capability. Because the coverage area of a satellite is large, the channel codes (e.g., DVB-S2X) used are long to overcome noise effects.
The Satellite and Ground-Station Signal Chain
While significant technological advances are occurring within the satellite, the ground station and user terminals also carry much of the R&D burden to be compatible with 5G. Much of this relies on the data processing in the gateway, while the RF front end must function at several carrier frequencies at 1.5 GHz, 2 GHz, 20 GHz (DL), 30 GHz (UL), and finally 40 to 50 GHz. Newer satellites in both HTS and LEO constellations are outfitted almost exclusively with Ku- and Ka-band transponders—falling right at the lower end of the millimeter-wave spectrum.
Within the satellite, the software-defined payload can leverage multi-beam antennas in an array-fed reflector or direct-radiating array configuration with digital beamforming
In the ground segment, it takes high transmit power levels for a signal to traverse the required distances and overcome attenuation effects.
Conclusion
The growing satellite infrastructure is poised to supplement the ever-growing 5G ground infrastructure with viable, high-capacity services. This integration is underway with projects such as SaT5G as well as more standardization in 3GPP Release 17 for 2021. The mmWave spectrum not only offers the terrestrial 5G network with a relative abundance of bandwidth, but also the non-terrestrial 5G network with the addition of spot beams that have more flexible frequency reuse schemes for HTS technologies. Moreover, onboard processing allows for satellites to function not only as RF remote units, but also as DUs for more complex 5G XHaul.
LEO constellations open up the feasible applications in more latency-constrained venues such as automated factories. The regenerative payloads in some LEO constellations and HTS can also function as a gNB, opening up avenues to provide access to connect UE globally.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Atom-Thin Switches Could Route 5G and 6G Radio Signals
https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/devices/atomthin-switches-5g-6g-radio-signals
The atomristor-action was initially discovered using molybdenum disulfide as the 2D material. But for RF switches, which have to strongly block signals when switched off, “what you really need is an insulator,” says Akinwande. So the team and their collaborators at University of Lille turned to hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), an extensively studied 2D insulator.
The key figure of merit for RF switches is called cut-off frequency. It’s a combination of on-state resistance and off-state capacitance, both of which should be low in a good switch. Terahertz values for cutoff frequency indicate that a device is a good candidate for an RF switch, and the experimental hBN devices scored 129 terahertz. As part of the testing, the team transmitted real-time high-definition video at a rate of 8.5 gigabits per second using a 100 gigahertz carrier frequency, which they say is more than sufficient for 5G’s streaming needs
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/06/02/5g-puhelinvalikoima-laajenee-ja-halpenee/
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G
The city of Stockholm will have 5G service through Telia, the Swedish telecom company, using its existing 700MHz spectrum, boosted by LTE and New Radio (NR) carrier aggregation and using Ericsson Radio Access Network (RAN) products.
https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2020/5/telia-company-launches-ericsson-powered-commercial-5g-in-sweden
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G security
To fulfill a requirement in a new U.S. law on 5G security, the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration is calling for public comments on the new policy. The U.S. White House and Department of Defense want to outlaw some suspicious parts in 5G supply chain, but the effort might be better spent developing innovations that protect unsafe systems, according to an article in NextGov.
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/federal-register-notice/2020/request-comments-national-strategy-secure-5g-implementation-plan
https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2020/05/white-house-seek-comment-national-5g-security-strategy/165661/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10827-suomi-menee-eturivissa-myos-millimetriaalloille
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10804-ruotsiin-avattiin-ensimmainen-5g-verkko
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10805-huawei-kehitti-tehokkaamman-5g-antennin
Huawei sanoo kehittäneensä uuden, tehokkaamman tekniikan 5G-tukiasemien antenniratkaisuihin. CableFree-tekniikan avulla tukiasemista saadaan kompaktimpia, radioiden säteilytehokkuus paranee ja tehokapasiteetti kasvaa.
CableFree mullistaa antennisuunnittelun, Huawei kehuu. Tekniikan avulla saadaan yhtiön mukaan poikkeuksellinen peitto 5G-verkoille korkeilla taajuuksilla. Korkeiden taajuuksien käyttöönotto 5G:ssä edellyttää antennin vahvistuksien kasvattamista huomattavasti laajan peittoalueen aikaansaamiseksi. CableFree parantaa antennin säteilytehokkuutta noin 20 prosenttia.
5G on suunniteltu täyttämään suuren kapasiteetin ja nopeuden vaatimukset, ja tämä korostaa uuden spektrin käyttöönoton ja korkean tilauksen MIMO-tekniikan käyttöönoton tarpeellisuutta. Kun 4G:ssä antennien teho oli noin 500-600 wattia, tarvitaan 5G:ssä jopa yli 1 kilowatin lähetystehoja. Tähän ongelmaan CableFree vastaa lisäämällä antennin tehokapasiteettia yli 80 prosenttia.
CableFree vähentää antennien ruuveja ja juotospisteitä 80 prosenttia, mikä pienentää PIM-pohjaisia signaalihäiriöitä.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/06/03/maailman-ensimmainen-nestejaahdytteinen-5g-tukiasema-elisalle/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bell Labs chief opens up on O-RAN
https://www.eetimes.com/bell-labs-chief-opens-up-on-o-ran/
Nokia is steaming ahead of its major telecoms infrastructure rivals Huawei and Ericsson when it comes to “openness.” The Finnish group, a founding member of the O-RAN Alliance, is still the only member of the big three to participate in the Facebook-led Telecoms Infrastructure Project (TIP).
To reinforce policy commitments and to “help enable a comprehensive and secure approach to 5G,” Marcus Weldon, Nokia’s CTO and head of Bell Labs late last week outlined exactly how the company is using its wealth of knowledge and resources to combine the best in existing infrastructure with the new.
The key message, at least for this participant, was that vendors should aim to “integrate what you have to, and open what you can”.
If they follow this mantra, Weldon suggested, they will reach the “soft-spot” where “you will get different integrated modules that are connected on open interfaces to other integrated modules.”
He conceded that this is a “very complex topic, and there is no one answer out there.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G Reality Check: Will Rollouts Roll Up?
The emerging COVID-19 economy will upend many previous economy predictions but does that include 5G technology?
https://www.designnews.com/covid-19/5g-reality-check-will-rollouts-roll/57333450462998?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13344&elq_cid=876648
Before COVID-19, the IOT was associated with devices like cell phones, handheld devices, PCs and Macs. More importantly, 2021 was the year that industrial electronics was going to become a larger percentage of the IOT market than the traditional consumer market, said Short. From 2021 to 2030, both commercial and industrial electronic were predicted to contribute the largest margin of installed devices. Automotive and transportation were set to begin accelerated growth in 2020, tripling about every 36 months through 2030. Thanks to the aging Baby Boomer population investing more in health devices, the medical market was expected to grow 23% from 2013 to 2030.
These predictions have been altered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Even now, the IOT remains a critical driver in tying all of the markets together. 5G is an important element in achieving that goal especially with things like ultra-reliable low latency connectivity (URLCC), which allows control of things requiring very high data rates. The emergence of 5G technology was based on the fast tracking of the standard for Release 16 and Release 17. However, the postponement of the Mobile Congress and other events have slowed down the in-person meetings that are essential for making real progress with the standard. Online meetings help but just aren’t as productive as the types of discussions and agreements that take place over dinners and cocktail.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: COVID-19 disruptions will drop 5G network infrastructure revenues by 10%
https://www.cablinginstall.com/wireless-5g/article/14174236/report-covid19-disruptions-will-drop-5g-network-infrastructure-revenues-by-10
ABI Research projects that the current virus outbreak will likely delay the deployment of advanced 5G NR systems, including Massive MIMO and active antennas that several operators have already started deploying.
COVID-19 pandemic disruptions will cause 2020 5G network infrastructure revenues to fall by as much as 10% of a forecasted US $2.1 billion, according to global technology market advisory firm ABI Research.
As stated by the analyst, “The outbreak of COVID-19 has created a crippling effect, not only on service industries, but also on manufacturing enterprises, including 5G infrastructure vendors.”
ABI adds, “Despite the current ongoing discussion on OpenRAN and open networks, most advanced 5G networks still rely on Tier One infrastructure vendors and their supply chain has been disrupted. The shortages of component manufacturing and/or network workforce deployment, such as integration engineers, are the main reasons [for] this disruption.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
GSMA Joins O-RAN Alliance, Hobbling Ericsson
https://www.eetimes.com/gsma-joins-o-ran-alliance-hobbling-ericsson/
It seems obvious now that it has happened. The O-RAN Alliance, one of the main drivers of the seemingly unstoppable shift to more openness in mobile communications infrastructure, is joining forces with the bastion of the old guard in all things mobile – the GSMA.
The two groups say they will “work together to harmonize the open networking ecosystem and agree on an industry roadmap for network solutions, thereby making access networks as open and flexible as possible for new market entrants.”
The move is just the latest in a series of realignments and new entrants who want to participate in this promise of new alternatives to the established norms in the sector.
Some weeks ago, we saw the launch of the Open RAN Policy Coalition. Late last week, Nokia, one of the surprising no-shows in the original line-up, announced it would join — giving its Scandinavian arch-rival Ericsson a bit of a dilemma.
Bell Labs chief opens up on O-RAN
https://www.eetimes.com/bell-labs-chief-opens-up-on-o-ran/
Nokia is steaming ahead of its major telecoms infrastructure rivals Huawei and Ericsson when it comes to “openness.” The Finnish group, a founding member of the O-RAN Alliance, is still the only member of the big three to participate in the Facebook-led Telecoms Infrastructure Project (TIP).
And as of late last week, it was also the only one of the three that was a member of the separate and US-dominated Open RAN Policy Committee.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The free5GC is an open-source project for 5th generation (5G) mobile core networks. The ultimate goal of this project is to implement the 5G core network (5GC) defined in 3GPP Release 15 (R15) and beyond.
For those interested, this project seems to be a rewrite of [https://nextepc.org/](https://nextepc.org/)
Alternative projects include [https://github.com/facebookincubator/magma](https://github.com/facebookincubator/magma) and [https://github.com/openairinterface](https://github.com/openairinterface).
Open source SDR LTE software suite from Software Radio Systems (SRS) [https://www.srslte.com](https://www.srslte.com/)
[https://cyberloginit.com/2018/05/03/build-a-lte-network-with-srslte-and-program-your-own-usim-card.html](https://cyberloginit.com/2018/05/03/build-a-lte-network-with-srslte-and-program-your-own-usim-card.html)
Open Source Embedded M2M UICC Remote Subscription Manager [http://www.njiwa.io](http://www.njiwa.io/)
https://github.com/free5gc/free5gc
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/06/08/miljoonien-eurojen-26-gigahertsin-5g-taajuudet-huutokauppaan/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-auto-security-pervasive-computing-18/
5G
The number of announced 5G devices keeps rising, according to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) June report. The count is over 296 devices announced by the end of May with 112 commercially available. Out of the total announced, 119 are phones, 77 of which are available now.
https://gsacom.com/paper/5g-devices-ecosystem-june-2020-executive-summary/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-auto-security-pervasive-computing-18/
ZTE and China Mobile have launched a 5G medical edge cloud platform in China. The cloud uses 5G slicing to share the network capacity privately and edge computing technologies.
ZTE helps China Mobile launch China’s first 5G medical edge cloud platform
https://www.telecomtv.com/content/news/zte-helps-china-mobile-launch-chinas-first-5g-medical-edge-cloud-platform-38815/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Data Converter Paves Way for Software Defined RF Beyond 25GHz
https://www.eetimes.com/data-converter-paves-way-for-software-defined-rf-beyond-25ghz/
As demand for RF hardware at higher frequencies grows, the diversity of often low-volume applications will make it challenging to deliver cost-effective systems. One solution is more software-defined radio, so systems can be reconfigured to operate at different frequencies. Teledyne e2V is supporting RF software-ization to enable dynamic RF system configuration up to Ka band (27-40GHz) frequencies.
With its new EV12DD700 dual-channel DACs, Teledyne e2v said at system level, designers can now migrate more RF hardware to digital code in the transmit path. Its reconfigurability enables generation of signals around any carrier frequency directly from a digital configuration, without the need to switch a local oscillator frequency as in traditional heterodyne architectures. The RF signal path is optimized without the need of up-converter block to reach such high frequencies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Päivitetty: 26 GHz:n 5G-taajuudet myytiin 21 miljoonalla eurolla
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/06/08/26-gigahertsin-5g-taajuudet-myytiin-21-miljoonalla-eurolla/
Liikenne- ja viestintävirasto Traficom huutokauppasi tänään DNA:lle, Elisalle ja Telialle 21 miljoonalla eurolla uuden sukupolven 5G-verkkojen 26 gigahertsin taajuudet. Kyseessä oli jo toinen 5G-huutokauppa, sillä alemmat 3,5 gigahertsin taajuudet huutokaupattiin pari vuotta sitten 80 miljoonalla eurolla.
Huutokaupattavia taajuuskaistoja oli kolme, joten ne riittivät DNA:lle, Elisalle ja Telialle. Huutokaupassa myytiin valtakunnalliseen käyttöön Manner-Suomessa taajuudet 25,1-27,5 gigahertsiä kolmena 800 megahertsin taajuuskaistana. Elisan taajuudet ovat 25,1-25,9 GHz, Telian 25,9-26,7 ja DNA:n taajuusalue 26,7–27,5 GHz.
Huutokaupassa hinnaksi tuli seitsemän miljoonaa euroa kultakin 800 megahertsin kaistalta. Toimilupamaksu suoritetaan Liikenne- ja viestintävirastolle viitenä vuosittaisena tasaeränä. Huutokaupan tuloksen jälkeen Valtioneuvosto vielä hyväksyy toimiluvat huutokaupan lopputuloksen mukaisesti.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suomen uusien 5g-taajuuksien huutokauppa oli ennätyksellisen lyhyt
tässä voittajat
https://www.is.fi/digitoday/mobiili/art-2000006534121.html
Suomen suurimmat operaattorit saivat myös 5g-verkon ylätaajuudet.. see
also
https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/tv/940d15c5-8eac-4032-be56-897995864fa2
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10858-5g-tukiaseman-polttanut-sai-kolme-vuotta-vankeutta
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10855-26-gigahertsin-5g-taajuusalueen-sai-7-miljoonalla-eurolla
Tomi Engdahl says:
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes: UK man gets 3 years for torching
4G phone mast over 5G fears
https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/09/arsonist_sentencing/
A Merseyside man has been sentenced to three years in jail by a beak
in Liverpool Crown Court after torching a Vodafone-owned phone mast.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.eetimes.com/huawei-charms-to-keep-uk-5g-business/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Twitter starts putting fact-checking labels on tweets about 5G and COVID-19
https://tcrn.ch/2XKDGj4
Conspiracy theories claiming a connection between 5G technology and the coronavirus have been around since the pandemic’s early days, and apparently they’re still going strong.
So strong, in fact, that Twitter began applying a label to some tweets about COVID-19 and 5G, encouraging users to “get the facts” about the virus. As Business Insider reported, clicking through the label leads to a page collecting sources debunking claims with links to pages like the BBC and Snopes. Earlier this year, the conspiracy was linked to a series ofarson attacks on 5G towers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Germany to fund development of edge CPUs as part of ‘tech you can trust’ plan to home-brew more kit
€400m for starters, after recent ban on ‘untrustworthy’ suppliers that sounded a lot like it was directed at Huawei
https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/10/tech_you_can_trust_plan_germany/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Play stupid games and win stupid prizes by trying to attack 5G masts. The man set fire to the base station of the mast on April 5 of this year, after becoming convinced that 5G was a bioweapon directly linked to the COVID-19 epidemic. His research didn’t extend as far as checking what type of mast he was torching.
The result was that this UK man gets 3 years in jail in Liverpool Crown Court after torching standard 4G phone base station mast over stupid 5G fears.
https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/09/arsonist_sentencing/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia: new research highlights 5G Fixed Wireless Access opportunity for mobile operators
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2020/06/10/nokia-new-research-highlights-5g-fixed-wireless-access-opportunity-for-mobile-operators/
Nokia: new research highlights 5G Fixed Wireless Access opportunity for mobile operators
Fixed wireless access (FWA) is the top-ranked use case by consumers, but providers must prove 5G can perform as well as their current broadband
Consumers demand 5G services and are willing to switch providers to get it
Opportunity for mobile operators to compete with broadband providers by offering FWA to homes and businesses
Nokia today announced new research highlighting 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) as the most desirable 5G use case amongst consumers globally. The study, which was conducted by Parks Associates, surveyed 3,000 people in the UK, US and South Korea and examined consumer understanding and demand for 5G services across six different use cases including autonomous vehicles, video surveillance and immersive technologies1. The research confirms that there is an opportunity for mobile operators to compete with broadband providers by offering FWA to homes and businesses.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10872-elisa-tutki-nopeammasta-netista-ollaan-valmiita-maksamaan-enemman
Tomi Engdahl says:
Phased-Array Antenna Patterns (Part 1)—Linear-Array Beam Characteristics and Array Factor
In this first of three articles, learn some of the basics of phased-array antenna patterns, starting with the simpler example of a linear array.
https://www.mwrf.com/technologies/systems/article/21133656/phasedarray-antenna-patterns-part-1lineararray-beam-characteristics-and-array-factor?utm_source=RF+MWRF+Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200608025&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
The FCC voted on Tuesday to clarify the rules around cell tower installations in hopes of speeding 5G deployment.
FCC Approves 5G Upgrade Order in an Effort to Speed Rollouts
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/fcc-speeds-up-5g-approval-process
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia China bounces back from 5G flop with hyperscale scores
Tencent and Baidu sign for optical data center interconnect kit
https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/17/nokia_tencent_baidu_wins/
Nokia has scored data centre interconnect wins with Chinese web giants Tencent and Baidu.
The win comes against the background of an April 2020 open letter by the CEO of Nokia Bell – Nokia’s Chinese outpost – that more-or-less apologised for missing out in a $5bn 5G tender at China Mobile.
Missing out was a surprise because Nokia had already provided kit for other parts of the giant carrier’s 5G networks and because Ericsson managed to win a slice of the tender.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm looks to hook the masses to 5G… if it arrives: Snapdragon 690, X51 modem to power mid-range gear
That’s Sub-6GHz 5G alongside octa-core processor, GPU and AI units
https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/17/qualcomm_snapdragon_690/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.securityweek.com/us-eases-conditions-working-huawei-5g-standards
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.mwrf.com/technologies/systems/article/21133741/mipis-rf-frontend-interface-spec-expands-its-5g-purview?utm_source=RF+MWRF+Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200610026&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-auto-security-pervasive-computing-19/
Mentor, a Siemens Business, has joined the O-RAN Alliance, the alliance of telecoms, network service, and equipment companies working on open standards for 5G radio access network (RAN) architectures. Their goal is to create an open, standardized virtualized network elements, hardware and interfaces to make it possible to segment the networks and automate (or make smart) network operations as much as possible. Mentor will focus on verification and validation.
https://www.mentor.com/company/news/siemens-mentor-joins-the-o-ran-allianca-to-help-drive-interoperability-requirements-for-5g-network-silicon
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm Launches 5G and AI Robotics Platform
https://www.eetimes.com/qualcomm-launches-5g-and-ai-robotics-platform/
Qualcomm Technologies launched Wednesday a premium 5G and AI-enabled robotics platform with advanced high-performance edge computing and computer vision capability. The move follows the company’s launch of its entry-level robotics platform just over a year ago
The new Qualcomm Robotics RB5 platform is its most advanced, integrated, comprehensive offering designed specifically for robotics. Building on the Qualcomm Robotics RB3 platform and its broad adoption in a wide array of robotics and drone products, the RB5 platform is comprised of hardware, software and development tools, which can be configured with multiple options for vision, sensors, communications, and motor control to address a wide range of industrial grade and commercial robotics applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DOD to set up relocatable cell towers at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., for 5G testing and experimentation
The decisions to open up testing at Nellis comes as the National Spectrum Consortium wraps up its solicitation at four other military bases.
https://www.militaryaerospace.com/communications/article/14177989/5g-testing-cell-towers-experimentation
Together, the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering will build a 5G cellular network for experimentation. The private network will be available only for testing.
The base will be for mobile testing, with relocatable cell towers that can be set up and removed in less than an hour.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.eetimes.com/the-makings-of-a-seamless-wireless-experience/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alexander Gabuev / Financial Times:
US and EU sanctions against Huawei have bolstered Sino-Russian cooperation, as the Chinese telecom company looks to be the main player in Russia’s 5G build out
https://t.co/xAtzXmL2BN