Here is where you find 5G technology explained—how 5G works, why 5G is important and how it’s changing the way the world connects and communicates. At Qualcomm, we invented the foundational breakthroughs that make 5G possible.
Question: What is 5G?
5G refers to the fifth generation of mobile networks, after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, it is a new global wireless standard.
5G enables a new type of network capable of connecting virtually everyone and everything, including machines, objects, and devices.
5G wireless technology is intended to provide more users with higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra low latency, increased reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience.
Higher performance and efficiency enable new user experiences and link new industries.
Question: Who invented 5G?
No single company or individual owns 5G, but several companies in the mobile ecosystem are working to bring it to life.
Qualcomm has played a significant role in developing the numerous foundational technologies that propel the industry forward and comprise 5G, the next wireless standard.
We are at the heart of the 3GPP, the industry organization that defines global specifications for 3G UMTS (including HSPA), 4G LTE, and 5G technologies.
Many critical inventions are being driven by 3GPP across all aspects of 5G design, from the air interface to the service layer.
Infrastructure vendors, component/device manufacturers, mobile network operators, and vertical service providers are among the other 3GPP 5G members
Question: What underlying technologies make up 5G?
OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) is a method of modulating a digital signal across multiple channels to reduce interference.
5G employs the 5G NR air interface in conjunction with OFDM principles.
5G also makes use of higher bandwidth technologies like sub-6 GHz and mmWave.
5G OFDM, like 4G LTE, is based on the same mobile networking principles.
However, the new 5G NR air interface can further improve OFDM to provide much greater flexibility and scalability.
This could give more people and things 5G access for a variety of different use cases.
5G will provide greater bandwidth by expanding the use of spectrum resources from sub-3 GHz in 4G to 100 GHz and beyond.
5G can operate in both lower frequency bands (e.g, sub-6 GHz) and mmWave (for example, 24 GHz and up), which will provide extreme capacity, multi-Gbps throughput, and low latency.
5G is intended to not only provide faster and more reliable mobile broadband services than 4G LTE, but also to expand into new service areas such as mission-critical communications and connecting the massive IoT.
Many new 5G NR air interface design techniques, such as a new self-contained TDD subframe design, enable this.
Question: What are the differences between the previous generations of mobile networks and 5G?
The previous generations of mobile networks are 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G.
First generation – 1G
1980s: 1G delivered analog voice.
Second generation – 2G
Early 1990s: 2G introduced digital voice (e.g. CDMA– Code Division Multiple Access).
Third generation – 3G
Early 2000s: 3G brought mobile data (e.g. CDMA2000).
Fourth generation – 4G LTE
2010s: 4G LTE ushered in the era of mobile broadband.
1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G all led to 5G, which is designed to provide more connectivity than was ever available before.
5G is a unified, more capable air interface. It has been designed with an extended capacity to enable next-generation user experiences, empower new deployment models and deliver new services.
With high speeds, superior reliability and negligible latency, 5G will expand the mobile ecosystem into new realms. 5G will impact every industry, making safer transportation, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, digitized logistics — and more — a reality.
Question: How is 5G better than 4G?
There are several reasons why 5G will outperform 4G:
• 5G is significantly faster than 4G;
• 5G has more capacity than 4G;
• 5G has significantly lower latency than 4G;
• 5G is a more capable unified platform than 4G; and
• 5G uses spectrum better than 4G.
5G is a more capable unified platform than 4G.
While 4G LTE focused on providing much faster mobile broadband services than 3G, 5G is intended to be a unified, more capable platform that not only elevates mobile broadband experiences, but also supports new services such as mission-critical communications and massive IoT.
5G can also support all spectrum types (licensed, shared, unlicensed) and bands (low, mid, and high), as well as a wide range of deployment models (from traditional to cloud-based macro-cells to hotspots), as well as new ways to connect (such as device-to-device and multi-hop mesh).
5G makes better use of spectrum than 4G.
5G is also intended to make the most of every available spectrum regulatory paradigm and band, ranging from low bands below 1 GHz to mid-bands between 1 GHz and 6 GHz, and high bands known as millimeter wave (mmWave).
5G is significantly faster than 4G.
5G can be significantly faster than 4G, with peak data rates of up to 20 Gigabits per second (Gbps) and average data rates of 100+ Megabits per second (Mbps).
5G has a higher capacity than 4G.
5G is intended to support a 100x increase in network capacity and efficiency.
The latency of 5G is lower than that of 4G.
5G has significantly lower data rates latency in order to provide more instantaneous, real-time access:
a 10x reduction in end-to-end latency to 1ms
Question: How and when will 5G affect the global economy?
Global growth is being fueled by 5G.
• $13.1 trillion in global economic output
• $22.8 million new jobs created
• $265 billion in global 5G CAPEX and R&D over the next 15 years
We discovered that the full economic impact of 5G will likely be realized across the globe by 2035, supporting a wide range of industries and potentially enabling up to $13.1 trillion in goods and services.
This has a much greater impact than previous network generations.
The new 5G network’s development requirements are also expanding beyond traditional mobile networking players to industries such as the automotive industry.
According to the study, the 5G value chain (including OEMs, operators, content creators, app developers, and consumers) could support up to 22.8 million jobs, or more than one job for every Beijing resident
And there are many new and emerging applications that will be defined in the future.
Only time will tell how big the “5G effect” will be on the economy.
Question: How will 5G affect me?
5G is intended to transform our lives by providing faster download speeds, lower latency, and increased capacity and connectivity for billions of devices, particularly in the areas of virtual reality (VR), the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI).
For example, 5G enables new and improved experiences such as near-instant access to cloud services, multiplayer cloud gaming, augmented reality shopping, real-time video translation and collaboration, and more.
Question: Where is 5G being used?
In general, 5G is used in three types of connected services: enhanced mobile broadband, mission-critical communications, and massive IoT.
One distinguishing feature of 5G is its design for forward compatibility—the ability to support future services that are unknown today.
Improved mobile broadband
Aside from improving our smartphones, 5G mobile technology has the potential to usher in new immersive experiences such as VR and AR by enabling faster, more uniform data rates, lower latency, and lower cost-per-bit.
With ultra-reliable, available, low-latency links like remote control of critical infrastructure, vehicles, and medical procedures, 5G mission-critical communications can enable new services that can transform industries.
Massive Internet of Things
5G is intended to connect a massive number of embedded sensors in virtually everything via the internet, Scalability in data rates, power, and mobility, resulting in extremely lean and low-cost connectivity solutions
Question: How fast is 5G?
According to IMT-2020 specifications, 5G is expected to deliver peak data rates of up to 20 Gbps.
Qualcomm Technologies’ flagship 5G solution, the Qualcomm® SnapdragonTM X65, is designed to achieve downlink peak data rates of up to 10 Gbps.
But 5G is about more than just speed.
In addition to higher peak data rates, 5G is intended to provide significantly more network capacity by utilizing new spectrum, such as mmWave.
5G can also provide much lower latency for a more immediate response and a more uniform user experience, ensuring that data rates remain consistently high—even when users move around.
Furthermore, the new 5G NR mobile network is supported by a Gigabit LTE coverage foundation, which can provide Gigabit-class connectivity everywhere.
Question: Is 5G available now?
Yes, 5G is already here, and global operators began rolling out new 5G networks in early 2019.
Furthermore, 5G phones are being commercialized by all major phone manufacturers.
And, in the near future, even more people may be able to use 5G.
5G has been deployed in over 60 countries and is still growing.
In comparison to 4G, we are seeing much faster rollout and adoption.
Consumers are ecstatic about the fast speeds and low latencies.
However, 5G goes beyond these advantages by enabling mission-critical services, enhanced mobile broadband, and massive IoT.
While it is difficult to predict when everyone will have access to 5G, we are seeing a lot of 5G launches in the first year, and more countries have launched 5G networks in 2020 and beyond
