Introduction to 5G
What is 5G?
The continuous traffic growth and service demands on the 4G systems, such as, real time streaming, downloading, gaming, smart applications, multiple devices per consumer, autonomous self driving cars, cloudification of systems and much more. The MNO must handle this demand all the whilst ensuring QoS and experience to the end user.
To fulfill these demands the fifth generation of cellular networks was introduced. 5G promises to allow more connections, much higher throughputs, and lower latency.
Figure from https://www.digi.com/blog/post/what-is-5g-part-1-evolution-and-the-next-generatio
What is 5G capable of?
The promise 5G brings is
Low Latency (1ms),
Ideal for mission critical communications, MEC applications, automatous cars and any strict real time communications
Connection Density (1million devices per km/sq)
Ideal for high connection density deployments such as smart cities, where a massive number of IOT devices will be prominent
Peak Data Rates (20 Gbit/s)
Ideal for interactive streaming, AR applications.
This diagram below describes the 5G usage scenarios using the main 3 use cases as defined by IMT-2020
eMBB, Enhanced Mobile Broadband
URLLC, Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications
mMTC, Massive Machine Type Communications
All in all, 5G will do much more than significantly improve your network speed. It will allow billions of connected devices gathering and sharing information in real time. It can allow data to be shared with very low, or almost without latency.
Beyond being able to download a full-length HD movie to your phone in seconds (even from a crowded stadium), 5G is really about connecting things everywhere – reliably, without lag – so people can measure, understand and manage things in real time.
Applications
Safety and Sustainability
Smarter electricity grids
More connected vehicles preventing road collisions and enabling quicker access for emergency services to accidents
Connected sensors that detect and provide early warnings of natural disasters
Remote access to doctors, specialists for patient diagnosis and care
Transforming Industries
Production lines automatically reacting to supply and demand
Logistic networks autonomously routing goods based on real-world conditions
Full traceability down to the individual item at warehouses and ports
Remote access to powerful robots and vehicles for improved safety in risky environments
Increased use of IoT in agriculture to efficiently grow crops
Advanced asset tracking, remote control, predictive maintenance and sensor-enabled processes across multiple sectors
Elevating visual experiences
Greater realism in VR, AR and extended reality (XR) with lighter devices
Delivering sensory experiences, like touch, through devices
Stable and reliable connectivity in crowded spaces
New angles and interactions for live and remote event spectators
5G Frequencies
5G spectrum spans across 0.4 GHz to 100 GHz, low, mid and high band, as such most of the frequencies are in use today and mobile operators are making use of this by DSS, reframing the spectrum they own to launch 5G.
5G frequencies are split into FR1 (4.1 GHz to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz)
There have been multiple rounds of spectrum auctions for 5G and currently below is the global status
Frequency (per 3GPP)
FR1 Bands Below 7.1 GHz
Name | Uplink | Downlink | Duplexing |
n1 | 1920 MHz – 1980 MHz | 2110 MHz – 2170 MHz | FDD |
n2 | 1850 MHz – 1910 MHz | 1930 MHz – 1990 MHz | FDD |
n3 | 1710 MHz – 1785 MHz | 1805 MHz – 1880 MHz | FDD |
n5 | 824 MHz – 849 MHz | 869 MHz – 894 MHz | FDD |
n7 | 2500 MHz – 2570 MHz | 2620 MHz – 2690 MHz | FDD |
n8 | 880 MHz – 915 MHz | 925 MHz – 960 MHz | FDD |
n12 | 699 MHz – 716 MHz | 729 MHz – 746 MHz | FDD |
n13 | 777 MHz – 787 MHz | 746 MHz – 756 MHz | FDD |
n14 | 788 MHz – 798 MHz | 758 MHz – 768 MHz | FDD |
n18 | 815 MHz – 830 MHz | 860 MHz – 875 MHz | FDD |
n20 | 832 MHz – 862 MHz | 791 MHz – 821 MHz | FDD |
n25 | 1850 MHz – 1915 MHz | 1930 MHz – 1995 MHz | FDD |
n26 | 814 MHz – 849 MHz | 859 MHz – 894 MHz | FDD |
n28 | 703 MHz – 748 MHz | 758 MHz – 803 MHz | FDD |
n29 | N/A | 717 MHz – 728 MHz | SDL |
n303 | 2305 MHz – 2315 MHz | 2350 MHz – 2360 MHz | FDD |
n34 | 2010 MHz – 2025 MHz | 2010 MHz – 2025 MHz | TDD |
n3810 | 2570 MHz – 2620 MHz | 2570 MHz – 2620 MHz | TDD |
n39 | 1880 MHz – 1920 MHz | 1880 MHz – 1920 MHz | TDD |
n40 | 2300 MHz – 2400 MHz | 2300 MHz – 2400 MHz | TDD |
n41 | 2496 MHz – 2690 MHz | 2496 MHz – 2690 MHz | TDD |
n46 | 5150 MHz – 5925 MHz | 5150 MHz – 5925 MHz | TDD13 |
n4711 | 5855 MHz – 5925 MHz | 5855 MHz – 5925 MHz | TDD |
n48 | 3550 MHz – 3700 MHz | 3550 MHz – 3700 MHz | TDD |
n50 | 1432 MHz – 1517 MHz | 1432 MHz – 1517 MHz | TDD1 |
n51 | 1427 MHz – 1432 MHz | 1427 MHz – 1432 MHz | TDD |
n53 | 2483.5 MHz – 2495 MHz | 2483.5 MHz – 2495 MHz | TDD |
n65 | 1920 MHz – 2010 MHz | 2110 MHz – 2200 MHz | FDD4 |
n66 | 1710 MHz – 1780 MHz | 2110 MHz – 2200 MHz | FDD |
n70 | 1695 MHz – 1710 MHz | 1995 MHz – 2020 MHz | FDD |
n71 | 663 MHz – 698 MHz | 617 MHz – 652 MHz | FDD |
n74 | 1427 MHz – 1470 MHz | 1475 MHz – 1518 MHz | FDD |
n75 | N/A | 1432 MHz – 1517 MHz | SDL |
n76 | N/A | 1427 MHz – 1432 MHz | SDL |
n7712 | 3300 MHz – 4200 MHz | 3300 MHz – 4200 MHz | TDD |
n78 | 3300 MHz – 3800 MHz | 3300 MHz – 3800 MHz | TDD |
n79 | 4400 MHz – 5000 MHz | 4400 MHz – 5000 MHz | TDD |
n80 | 1710 MHz – 1785 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n81 | 880 MHz – 915 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n82 | 832 MHz – 862 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n83 | 703 MHz – 748 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n84 | 1920 MHz – 1980 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n86 | 1710 MHz – 1780 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n89 | 824 MHz – 849 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n90 | 2496 MHz – 2690 MHz | 2496 MHz – 2690 MHz | TDD5 |
n91 | 832 MHz – 862 MHz | 1427 MHz – 1432 MHz | FDD9 |
n92 | 832 MHz – 862 MHz | 1432 MHz – 1517 MHz | FDD9 |
n93 | 880 MHz – 915 MHz | 1427 MHz – 1432 MHz | FDD9 |
n94 | 880 MHz – 915 MHz | 1432 MHz – 1517 MHz | FDD9 |
n958 | 2010 MHz – 2025 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n9614 | 5925 MHz – 7125 MHz | 5925 MHz – 7125 MHz | TDD13 |
n9715 | 2300 MHz – 2400 MHz | N/A | SUL |
n9815 | 1880 MHz – 1920 MHz | N/A | SUL |
FR2 Bands Above 7.1 GHz
Name | Uplink |
|
| Downlink |
|
| Duplexing |
n257 | 26500 MHz | – | 29500 MHz | 26500 MHz | – | 29500 MHz | TDD |
n258 | 24250 MHz | – | 27500 MHz | 24250 MHz | – | 27500 MHz | TDD |
n259 | 39500 MHz | – | 43500 MHz | 39500 MHz | – | 43500 MHz | TDD |
n260 | 37000 MHz | – | 40000 MHz | 37000 MHz | – | 40000 MHz | TDD |
n261 | 27500 MHz | – | 28350 MHz | 27500 MHz | – | 28350 MHz | TDD |
Bandwidths
FR1-Maximum transmission bandwidth configuration NRB
SCS (kHz) | 5 MHz | 10 MHz | 15 MHz | 20 MHz | 25 MHz | 30 MHz | 40 MHz | 50 MHz | 60 MHz | 70 MHz | 80 MHz | 90 MHz | 100 MHz |
| NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB |
15 | 25 | 52 | 79 | 106 | 133 | 160 | 216 | 270 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
30 | 11 | 24 | 38 | 51 | 65 | 78 | 106 | 133 | 162 | 189 | 217 | 245 | 273 |
60 | N/A | 11 | 18 | 24 | 31 | 38 | 51 | 65 | 79 | 93 | 107 | 121 | 135 |
FR2-Maximum transmission bandwidth configuration NRB
SCS (kHz) | 50 MHz | 100 MHz | 200 MHz | 400 MHz |
| NRB | NRB | NRB | NRB |
60 | 66 | 132 | 264 | N.A |
120 | 32 | 66 | 132 | 264 |
Other Key Configurations
Parameter | FR1 (450 MHz-7.125 GHz) | FR2 (24.5-52.6 GHz) |
Carrier Aggregation | Up to 16 Carriers | |
Max Number of Subcarriers | 3300 (FFT 4096) | |
Modulation Scheme | QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM; uplink also supports π/2-BPSK (only DFT-s-OFDM) | |
Radio Frame Length | 10 ms | |
Subframe Length | 1 ms | |
MIMO Scheme | Max 2 Codewords mapped to max of 8 layers in DL and max of 4 layers in UL | |
Duplex Mode | FDD, TDD | TDD |
Access scheme | DL: CP-OFDM; UL: CP-OFDM, DFT-s-OFDM | |
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