President of Advanced RF Technologies (ADRF), overseeing all aspects of the company’s operations worldwide.
The wireless industry is a growing telecommunications industry that plays a vital role in enabling business applications for almost all of the innovations being discussed today, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Without the high-bandwidth, low-latency connections that 5G enables, most of these technologies would be ambitious ideas with limited use cases.
Navigating the various elements of the wireless ecosystem and multiple vertical industries and stakeholders can be challenging. That’s why the industry hosts several leading conferences that serve as barometers of ongoing innovation. Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Las Vegas recently gave us an update on what to expect from 5G indoor and private wireless networks next year.
The hype around 5G in 2019 was so strong that it could create a false impression of market maturity. As a result, many expect 5G to be widely used in buildings and in most applications. However, despite this impression, the development and deployment of 5G networks largely follows the trajectory of previous generations of 3G/4G/4G LTE.
Driven by technological advances and changing user needs, cellular standards emerge approximately every ten years, and their development always follows a cyclical cycle. Considering we’re less than halfway through the expected 5G adoption cycle, the momentum is impressive. The Global Mobile Systems Association (GSMA) says 5G will surpass 4G to become the dominant mobile technology in North America this year, with an adoption rate of 59%. While AT&T and Verizon initially focused on rolling out their nationwide 5G networks on millimeter wave, ultimately the lack of signal range and resiliency made deployment outside of dense urban areas very difficult. The $81 billion C-band auction in February 2021 could help provide eligible mid-band licenses to ease their transition.
5G lays the foundation for a new era of innovation across all industries, creating new platforms and leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and edge computing. An example of this is the partnership announced at MWC between NTT and Qualcomm to develop new 5G devices and use artificial intelligence to improve data processing at the network edge. The collaboration covers a wide range of devices, including push-to-talk devices, augmented reality headsets, computer vision cameras and edge sensors to meet the needs of manufacturing, automotive, logistics and other industries.
Additionally, recent Omdia data further illustrates the technology’s linear growth. From the fourth quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023, the number of new 5G connections worldwide reached 157 million, and is expected to reach almost 2 billion by 2023. Omdia also predicts that the number of global 5G connections will reach a staggering 6.8 billion by 2027. Verizon plans to expand its 5G C-band network to rural and suburban areas by December, and AT&T expects to double the amount of C-band spectrum available for deployment once it receives approval for use from wireless carriers. Likewise, T-Mobile is expected to have a mid-band 5G network covering 300 million users by the end of 2023.
As 5G technology matures, the driving force behind private 5G networks is receiving a lot of attention at MWC. Dell’Oro Group said that while private networks still make up less than 1% of the overall 5G RAN market, there is still significant growth potential as a new way to take advantage of improved network control, security and bandwidth allocation. The current focus is on advances in network slicing.
Currently, network slicing is one of the most influential features provided by the 5G standard, and the market is expected to grow by more than 50% annually from 2023 to 2030. This suggests that key industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, logistics and utilities are on the verge of rapid revenue growth.
For example, T-Mobile launched Security Slice, a feature that leverages standalone 5G network deployments to create virtual network slices dedicated to SASE traffic. Originally introduced in 2020, the feature has become one of the most anticipated aspects of 5G, especially as its cost-effective models help make slicing easier. Thanks to advances in network slicing, private 5G networks will be able to support thousands of cellular devices, improving communications between institutions such as hospitals and emergency services.
Looking ahead to 2024, the recent Mobile World Congress (MWC) reflected the wireless industry’s progress over the past year, particularly in the areas of 5G and private wireless networks. The timely development and deployment of advances in 5G networks, as well as the accelerated development of private 5G networks, highlight the transformative potential inherent in this technology. As we enter the second half of the 5G cycle, many existing innovations and partnerships will accelerate future adoption.
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Post time: Nov-30-2023