Saturday, January 26, 2019

5G Builds on 4G

As was the case for 4G, leading service providers strive to “get there first,” so we hear different claims about who is “first to market” with “real 5G.” Most of that discussion is marketing hype.

For starters, 5G is going to be built on a number of fronts, and more incrementally than you might think, from radio interfaces to network cores, intentionally building on what is done to support advanced 4G. In other words, 5G builds on advanced 4G network elements and core networks.

Also, most consumers are going to rely on 4G--including early 5G users--to a really great extent. That will be true for some time, as 4G will continue to improve for a while, adding latency performance and bandwidth advantages now touted for 5G.


Consider the matter of indoor coverage and small cells. As Ericsson points out, the same small cells deployed for 4G indoor coverage can be used to support 5G indoor cells. At least initially, 5G NR uses the 4G command and control network to support the 5G air interface.

The principle of reuse was foundational for the design of the Ericsson Radio Dot, for example, especially when using the 3 GHz to 6 GHz frequency bands expected to anchor much 5G indoor coverage globally.

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