Article
In this edition we look at how 5G telecom technologies will be a critical element in enabling a broad range of novel applications and innovations in the field of robotics and automation.
October 6, 2020
3GPP defines three bands of 5G frequencies for different use-cases:1
1. Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) is the low frequency band (below 1 GHz), where signals can travel long distances and to some extent even underground and through walls (like the bass notes that you hear when someone in a different room plays loud music), but with a compromise on speed. Speed is however, likely to be equivalent to or better than the highest speeds available on 4G and this band is likely to be rolled out first, to give the consumer an upgraded experience on their mobile phone.
2. At the other end of the spectrum, Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) operates in the high-frequency band (above 20 GHz), where the signal cadence is short and fast, allowing for very high speeds, but a far more limited shorter range. This is most suitable for connecting a very large number of devices in a limited area, with millisecond speed and latency. This will be best suited to real-time applications in towns, factories, logistics warehouses, offices, schools, and hospitals.
3. Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (uRLLC) is the middle frequency band, between eMBB and mMTC, offering a “Goldilocks” balance of not too hot and not too cold: good speed and good range, and in addition, the best reliability of all three bands. It is this reliability aspect, combined with low latency and high speed, which makes it most suitable for autonomous vehicles and other transport systems.
Since the broad range of frequencies is suited to different use cases, McKinsey2 believes that telecom operators will choose to roll out 5G in waves, with the first wave designed for data-hungry consumer glued to their mobile phones, and the second and third waves geared more to business and government and connected devices known as the “internet of things”. McKinsey notes (Figure 3.) that while the consumer market (enhanced mobile broadband, or eMBB) is likely the most easily accessible and uniform, being viewed as a simple upgrade for the mobile subscriber, the third wave (massive machine-type communication, or mMTC), suited to business and government applications will likely take longer to develop, but will ultimately become a much larger market.
For consumers, the improvements in speed and connectivity offered by 5G will likely be happily received and, for a while at least, some may be willing to pay a premium for the service. Data volumes and “screen time” will likely rise. Ericsson predicts that by 2025 smartphones around the world will consume 164 Exabytes of mobile data per month, a five-fold increase on 2019.3 The trend will likely be similar across global markets and drive improvements in our smartphones, such as greater memory capacity and higher resolution cameras, as well as increasingly data-rich content, and better, more affordable data plans. But despite the expected increase in usage and data traffic, 5G seems unlikely, at least in the first few years of adoption, to radically change how the consumer uses the mobile internet.
5G standards require an outage, or failure, rate of just 0.00001 (or, 10-5). This is approximately five thousand times better reliability than 4G. In addition, latency rates are required to be less than 1 millisecond, with zero interruption if the device or user moves from one cell to another.4
"We need to look at how long it takes for the message to be transmitted between sensors and then to get to the computer in each car and then how long it takes for the computer to make a decision, and all of this has to be in less time than a human would take to make a decision. We need a network supporting this and 5G is that network."Jane Rygaard, Nokia - Head of Dedicated Wireless Networks (5)
The average reaction time for humans to visual stimulus is 250 milliseconds (¼ of a second) and approximately 190 ms for professionally trained drivers.6 A car travelling at 100 kmph would therefore travel approximately 30 meters before the average human reacts and applies the brake. If an autonomous vehicle could react in 10 ms, then the vehicle would only travel 30 cm before the brake is applied, a significant improvement, and as processing times improve, reaction speeds of 1-2 ms may become possible.4 The speed and reliability of 5G are critical to enable this.
In addition, the rising popularity of wearable sensors for continuous health tracking and diagnostics both in the hospital and at home will demand more bandwidth than is currently available on 4G. According to Anthem, a US health insurer, 86% of physicians say that wearable devices for remote monitoring increases patient engagement with their own health and wearables are expected to lower hospital costs by 16% over the next five years.7
"I think 5G will be the digital backbone that transforms the way we do smart manufacturing. [With] 5x lower latency and about 1,000x more data volume, industries can dare to cut their cables and move more into fully flexible production."Erik Joseffon, VP and head of advanced industries at Ericsson (8)
1. 3GPP (3GPP.org), “Release 16 – The 5G System”, last update: July 2020.
2. Source: McKinsey: “The 5G era: New horizons for advanced electronics and industrial computers”. Feb. 21, 2020, Report.
3. Source: Ericsson: “Ericsson Mobility Report – Mobile traffic outlook”, June 2020.
4. Source: ITU-Telecom, “Minimum requirements related to technical performance for IMT-2020,” November 2017.
5. BBC News report: “Will 5G be necessary for self-driving cars,” by Mary-Ann Russon, September 26, 2018.
6. Thales (Gemalto), “Introducing 5G technology and networks (definition, use cases and rollout),” 2019.
7. Forbes magazine, “The 5G and IoT revolution is coming,” by Randal Kenworthy, November 18, 2019.
8. SME article (sme.org), “Ericsson, Hexagon cook up an example of 5G in action”, 17 July 2020.