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Bringing 5G from concept to reality: How difficult is it?
Modern, networked technology demands many things. It wants speed for real-time interaction. It requires bandwidth so the data can flow. It must be secure, for the internet is a hive of villains. Communication standards designed years ago can’t meet these new demands at scale.
A new technology, 5G, is rising to the challenge, but there are still some hurdles to jump, according to Scott Raynovich, principle analyst at Futuriom Research.
“A couple years ago it was all about new tablets or the latest phone. Now it’s more about these advanced technologies, interactive technologies,” Raynovich said.
He spoke over the phone from the Mobile World Congress 2017 event in Barcelona, Spain, with John Furrier (@furrier), cohost of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile live-streaming studio.
Old infrastructure, new 5G standards
Raynovich explained that telecom providers have felt spurned by the success of online business. The providers laid down all the plumbing, but companies like Amazon and Netflix stole the show. The providers see 5G as an opportunity, and they’re positioning themselves to take advantage of it.
The telecoms are also progressing in terms of infrastructure, Raynovich mentioned. Major companies like AT&T and Verizon are upgrading to Network Functions Virtualization, a technology that allows them to parcel bandwidth in custom “slices” to meet the needs of a given customer. NFV also brings these providers into the cloud so they can take advantage of what the cloud can offer, such as security.
“You’re seeing this stuff finally becoming real,” Raynovich said.
Still, 5G technology remains somewhat nebulous. A number of 5G standards are coming into play, each with their own performance characteristics. This has led to a lot of discussion about communication standards, Raynovich explained.
“5G is not a land-grab until it actually exists,” he said, predicting it would probably be rolled out around 2020. In the meantime, he wanted to remind people that 5G is still many things to many companies. “When someone says the buzzword, it doesn’t mean one thing,” he added.
Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of the Mobile World Congress 2017 Barcelona.
Photo: SiliconANGLE
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