Latin America. The first deployments of 5G infrastructure have already begun, with about 114 commercial 5G networks active around the world as of the second quarter of this year, according to teleGeography figures. The family of 5G technologies is constantly evolving and it is expected to deepen the standardization and development of new features in the coming years.
5G deployments over the next few years can be expected in three major phases, according to the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Release on which the technology is based. This is explained by the document Global 5G: Rise of a Transformational Technology, published by 5G Americas and Rysavy Research in September.
For the period 2020 to 2022, the first deployments based on Release 15 are expected, which will focus mainly on enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) service. This wave of network deployments will see advances such as small cells for millimeter bands (mmWave), some beginnings of edge computing, private networks, and the move towards an autonomous 5G architecture, in addition to mobile fixed access applications – that is, the use of 5G to provide fixed connectivity services.
From 2022 until about 2024, the second wave of 5G technologies will come, based on Release 16 of the 3GPP. Its main novelties will be the Industrial Internet of Things (Industrial IoT, IIoT), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), backhaul and integrated access (IAB) and cellular connections for vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X, Cellular Vehicle to Everything). At this stage, autonomous 5G architecture is expected to be already the norm, and some other advancements such as millimeter small cells, edge computing, and private networks will already be widely adopted.
The third stage of deployments, between 2024 and 2026 approximately, will be starred by Release 17. 5G technology will make it possible to connect low-complexity devices, services such as broadcast and multicast, and the deployment of non-terrestrial networks. Deployment in millimeter bands will be broad and the use of the range 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz is expected, in addition to increasing the use of medium bands.
Broadly speaking, it can be concluded that in its early years 5G will bring especially improvements in terms of mobile connectivity, and then in the second and third phases inaugurate new innovative use cases by connecting an endless number of devices and creating applications and services never imagined until now.
For the infographic published by 5G Americas on the subject, click here.
