Touted as a transformative technology that could change the way we live and work, 5G is being branded as a platform that could impact society in much the same way that the advent of electricity or the automobile did in the past.
The new network platform is projected to not only drive innovations that will enhance today’s mobile broadband services, but also expand mobile networks to support a vast diversity of devices and services and connect new industries with improved performance, efficiency, and cost.
A recent study on the ‘5G Economy’ by multinational US-based semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm, found that the full economic effect of 5G will be realized worldwide only by 2035. By then, 5G is projected to support a wide range of industries and potentially produce up to $12 trillion worth of goods and services. The study also revealed that the 5G value chain of equipment manufacturers, operators, content creators, app developers and consumers could alone generate up to $3.5 trillion in overall aggregate revenue by 2035 and support up to 22 million jobs.
On 3 April 2019, South Korea became the first country to adopt 5G commercial services. Just hours later, the US announced its own launch of 5G, and since then there has been a list of countries launching their own brand of 5G services. In mid-June, the Chairman and CEO of the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) Salem Al-Othaina announced Kuwait’s readiness to launch commercial operations of the fifth-generation communication network. All three network operators in the country have embraced 5G and have begun offering services to the public.
Announcing the launch of 5G, Al-Othaina said that it comes in line with the recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and in coordination with telecommunications companies operating the mobile telecommunications service in the country, so as to allow them to conduct experiments on this technology. Apparently this ‘experiment’ is what telecommunication companies in the country have launched in recent weeks — a simulated version of 5G to assess the potential and pitfalls of the technology before investing on the infrastructure needed for a ‘true’ 5G rollout sometime in the future.
So, what will 5G, or the diluted version of it, provide for you the user? For starters, you will be able to do everything you did on a 4G platform much faster and better on 5G. “Kuwait is one of the first countries in the world to organize and operate this new technology. The application of this service will significantly enhance the speed of internet connection and enable a large range of data to be transmitted to support the Internet of Things (IOT), Artificial intelligence (AI) and smart cities, which will be an added value to the industrial, commercial and financial sectors as well as individuals in the country, said Al-Othaina.
While individuals will definitely get to download and watch the latest movies and other entertainment in a faster, seamless manner on 5G, the advantages of the technology to the industry and commerce will probably be realized only in the future. In the short-term, it is the financial sector, especially banks in Kuwait that are likely to be the first to launch applications making use of 5G.
Elsewhere in the region. Etisalat, the leading telecommunication provider in the UAE, became the first company to provide 5G commercial services to consumers in the MENA region in May. At the launch, Etisalat promised that it would have more than 1,000 5G towers in the UAE, as part of the company’s $1.1 billion drive to effectively bring 5G to the UAE. Meanwhile, du, the rival to Etisalat in telecommunication has partnered with Virgin Mobile to bring its own 5G service to the UAE. In Saudi Arabia, STC Group officially launched commercial 5G services in the Kingdom in late June of this year.
In the middle of all this euphoria and enthusiasm to roll out 5G services, it would be helpful for consumers to understand what they are buying into when they opt for 5G services in the country. Consumers need to be aware that there are different flavors of 5G. In many places, telecommunication providers, or carriers have launched what are technically an evolution of 4G to 5G. While these bridge technologies claim to improve existing networks with the use of ‘5G technology, these pre-5G networks are actually existing on top of LTE networks. The infrastructure is not designed for or exclusive to 5G, and that is why describing them as true 5G is misleading.
The first wave of 5G networks are classed as Non-Standalone (NSA), which means the 5G networks will be supported by existing 4G infrastructure. It is only in the next stage that the operators are expected to switch to the ‘true’ 5G Standalone (SA) network, which will provide greater simplification and improved efficiency. It is expected that the future switch from NSA to SA network by carriers in the region will be smooth and not cause any disruptions to services for users.
While the services offered by providers could be seamless, the same cannot be said of equipment bought by early users of 5G. Before rushing out to buy the latest smartphone touting 5G, people need to be aware that many smartphones and routers that work on NSA network may not be compatible with a future SA network. Users should also note that the NSA device they purchase that works perfectly in their country may not work when they travel abroad to a country that provides services on a SA network. Some equipment manufacturers are already ensuring their devices are compatible with both network architectures, but it is caveat emptor, or buyer be aware, when it comes to purchasing 5G devices.
In addition to equipment, the higher speeds and lower latency advertised for 5G can also be misleading. While true 5G can realize a potential 20Gbps in download speeds and latency of 1-4 milliseconds, in reality, most providers will be able to deliver only half that speed and many of the equipment available or shipping in 2019 have tested latency of 8-12 milliseconds. In the short-term, the 5G services being offered on NSA networks will at best be slightly over 1Gbps and some carriers will offer speeds that are only slightly higher than 4G.
According to wireless coverage mapping company OpenSignal, which measured 5G and 4G speeds in eight different countries, the highest maximum 5G speeds in the world were experienced by users in the United States who enjoy 1,816 Mbps, 2.7 times as fast as the fastest speed enjoyed by 4G users. Switzerland came second, seeing speeds up to 1,145 Mbps, 2.6 times as fast as regular 4G users. South Korea came third with its 5G speeds reaching 1,071 Mbps while its fastest 4G speed was 619 Mbps.
The reason that the US consumers enjoy such high speeds is because providers there have invested in high capacity, fast spectrum millimeter wave technology that uses the 26GHz to 84GHz. Most other countries rely on the mid-band spectrum of 3.4GHz to 3.8GHz. The downside to the millimeter wave technology is that it has only very limited coverage compared to the existing mid-band spectrums used in most other countries.
Ethisalat, which currently advertises 1GHz speed with their non-standalone (NSA) network infrastructure, was found to average 665 Mbps, 2.3 times faster than their 4G speed of 292 Mbps, in the OpenSignal survey. Customers in the UAE are likely to realize the full capabilities of 5G network only next year, when they will be able to experience speeds of 10GHz and above and will be able to download larger files in milliseconds.
Elsewhere, the immaturity of 5G services being offered is fully evident from the speed tests. Customers of 5G in Italy, Spain and the UK were being provided with speeds of only 657Mbps, 602 Mbps and 596 Mbps respectively. Though these speeds were 1 to 1.5 times faster than the earlier 4G, they were nowhere close to the 1 Gbps promised. And, in some countries such as Australia, 4G at 950 Mbps actually outperformed the 792 Mbps that 5G offered in download speed. However, in the coming months and years speeds are expected to increase and latency decrease as networks expand and become more sophisticated.
The real speeds in Kuwait, were all three carriers are offering 5G, was not measured in the OpenSignal survey, so apparently we will have to continue relying on the measurements advertised by the carriers here.
Times Report