Empowering Sri Lanka with 5G
Telecommunication industry has seen a rapid growth in the last century. Passing different eras and transformations like analog to digital, circuit switching to packet switching and voice to data, 5G is its latest addition. This article is about how 5G technology can be adopted to Sri Lanka and feasible application scenarios.
International Mobile Telecommunications 2020 Standard (IMT-2020), or else 5G, was developed by 3GPP based on the standardization requirements issued by the Radio communication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union. The three major application scenarios of 5G and their performances are as follows.[1]
1. eMBB- enhanced Mobile Broadband (10Gbps)
2. mMTC- massive Machine Type Communication (1M connections/km2)
3. uRLLC- ultra reliable & Low Latency Communication (1ms)
The performances of 4G counterparts of the above are 1Gbps, 0.1M devices/km2 10ms respectively which proves the merits of 5G.[1] 5G has superior security compared to LTE with better encryption concealing subscriber information. The power consumption per bit is low in 5G compared to 4G.
5G utilizes two frequency bands, sub-6G band (0.6-6GHz) and mmWave (24 -90 GHz) namely. The sub-6G band consists of sub-3G band (<3GHz), which is already being used in previous cellular networks, and the C-band (3.5 GHz). There are two network architectures of 5G; Non-Stand Alone (NSA) and Stand Alone (SA). Only eMBB is supported in the NSA version which is overlaid on the existing LTE architecture. (This reduces the modifications required for initial adaptation of 5G.) The complete 5G solution (SA), can support the requirements of vertical industries with 5G’s full capabilities involving network slicing.
5G-eMBB can provide highspeed internet access to individuals, households, and industries. Fixed Wireless Access holds advantages over last mile connectivity solutions like fibre as cabling can be expensive and impractical. Massive IoT implementations are a major application of 5G. 5G will permit Internet of Everything (IoE) with machine-to-machine communication possible.
5G empowered surveillance networks can be deployed for security purposes and identifying traffic violations, e.g. express ways. These cameras can be further improved with edge computing nodes enabling real time processing of video streams with Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms. Surveillance systems can be installed at factory sites and farmlands as well.
In agriculture, sensors in large scale can be used for monitoring the conditions of large farming lands. Similar IoT applications can be used in the power grid to collect data from users via smart meters. Additionally, in the energy sector, concepts like smart load balancing, and power grid surveillance can be realized to achieve a smart grid.
With the low latency provided by 5G, IoV is a huge application area. Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication stands out as a highlight in the automobile industry with 5G. V2X consists of vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-pedestrian, vehicle-to-infrastructure, and vehicle-to-network connectivity. Remote driving and autonomous driving are notable applications. The advantages of IoV include the reduction in the number of road accidents and smart management of traffic. Smart parking can be a timely solution for finding parking space in cities. This service can be applied in offices, hotels, and other public places. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) industry is also expected to boost with 5G. UAVs can be utilized for surveillance purposes; application areas including security, agriculture, and forestry.
Smart healthcare applications such as remote consultation (diagnosis, monitoring), remote ward round, robot ward round will certainly improve medical systems by easing the tasks of both patients and health professionals. Furthermore, remote first aid instructions pre-hospitalization can be vital in saving a person’s life. Performing remote surgery is a huge step forward with 5G.
In the education domain, 5G facilitates remote learning/teaching techniques blended with Augmented Reality (AR) /Virtual Reality (VR). In a post pandemic era where distant learning and teaching are much popular, smart healthcare and smart education solutions will be of high demand. Video conferencing capabilities (without delay) and Ultra High Definition (UHD) videos add up to the list of 5G advantages. With AR, online shopping, can be made more realistic. A low latency and high throughput internet access is very much anticipated to realize these. This increases the necessity of moving towards 5G.
Smart manufacturing and smart cities are other 5G application scenarios. Certain large-scale processes in factories can be automated and technologies like AR and AI can be used. Harbours and airports offer many opportunities for 5G employment. Local factories manufacture products including apparel, which is exported. Two international airports and ports are located in the country. 5G would make the workflows of these places more efficient and easily managed, thereby contributing to increase the profit margins.
Households can experience live UHD quality TV streaming and smart home management. Entertainment wise, Individuals can experience better gaming and video streaming with AR and VR. 5G is capable of streaming high-quality videos in real time. Events, and sports (cricket) can be streamed live and viewed from home in UHD quality without interruption.
The 5G ecosystem, which incorporates devices such as mobile phones, networking devices (routers, switches) and chipsets, keeps expanding. Chipset manufacturers (Qualcomm, Samsung, HiSilicon) have released their 5G capable chips years back. 5G smartphones are already available in the local market. Supplementary accessories like AR headsets are getting popular in the market. Vendors in collaboration with Cellular network operators have deployed 5G networks in many countries.
According to the statistics provided by Ookla-Speedtest.net for January 2021, average upload, download and latency rates in Sri Lanka (mobile) are 17.36 Mbps, 8.40 Mbps and 29ms respectively.[2] Launching of 5G will be a huge boost in the local network standards. Sri Lanka was the first country in South Asia to perform 5G trial transmissions. Some operators have already upgraded few of their base stations to 5G ready.
It is evident that 5G proposes plenty of advantages. Moreover, it is key to move with the pace the world moves. Therefore, 5G networks need to be deployed atleast in selected areas considering the necessity. 5G is the way forward.
References
1. M.2083: IMT Vision- "Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT for 2020 and beyond" Available:https://www.itu.int/.../m/R-REC-M.2083-0-201509-I!!PDF-E.pdf
2. https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/sri-lanka#mobile
0 Comments