03/04/2019
"Because, 5G and Mobile Edge Computing - together may change the world as we know it !"
Kirti Bhardwaj of BCA 4th Semester (1st Shift) gives way to a detailed discussion on 5G and it's symbiotic relation with MEC.
Her perspective towards the topic is very strongly showcased in the article given below. Read more to find out and give your opinions on the same.
A detailed discussion on 5G, MEC, speculations,
specifications, and future implications…
With the beginning of a new year come hopes, possibilities and expectations for a better world. And, this time around, we are headed to achieve what innovators and visionaries have always referred to as the future of mobile and networking technology.
Soon 4G (LTE/WiMax), 3G (UMTS) and 2G (GSM) systems will become mere names in mobile computing history, giving rise to 5G computing systems and networks leading to what can only be called the big bang of mobile computing technology.
Keeping automation, edge computing, low latency at its fore-front, 5G - the fifth generation of cellular mobile communications, will provide enhanced throughput making it the next enterprise trend. Service continuity in trains, sparse and dense areas while supporting machine to machine devices will be also made possible through 5G. But then the million dollar question is how 5G will achieve all this and more? The answer to this is closely entwined with 5G’s association with MEC or Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) - a form of network architecture that enables cloud computing to be done at the edge of a mobile network. As a matter of fact, according to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) - MEC represents key technology and architectural concept to enable the evolution to 5G.
While 4G gave the foundation for 5G, this emerging technology couldn't be more different.
Where 4G required large, high-power cell towers to radiate signals over protracted distances, 5G wireless signals will be transmitted via large numbers of small cell stations using new air interface (radio frequency portion of the circuit between the mobile device and the active base station) called the New radio (NR), that is being built from the ground up in order to support the new developments encompassing 5G which will further enable higher speed and more capacity.
With current 4G network being pushed to their consummate limits, and with the number of connected devices set to reach 100 billion by 2025, 5G is going to manage online traffic far more intelligently and MEC will be the key to that.
The primary benefit of shifting and spreading the significant load of cloud computing with MEC is to reduce congestion on our mobile networks. In addition to managing the data load, MEC will play an enormous part in decreasing latency for 5G networks. Wi-Fi levels of receptivity (1ms, which is 30 to 50 times more responsive than 4G) are a major part of the 5G package.
However, the ‘full’ 5G System includes eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband) that provides greater data-bandwidth complemented by moderate latency improvements on both 5G NR and 4G LTE, URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications) which is already partly developed and mMTC (massive Machine Type Communications).
All of these specifications when finally completed and implied will prove to be a big push in promoting IoT( Internet of Things) that is already bumping up against existing networking's physical limits because of its fast growth. For example, sensors in industrial equipment are providing not only gobs of data but also a need to analyze that data in real time, which not only imposes bandwidth needs all of its own, but also requires a serious upgrade in acceptable latency.
5G will lighten the load for cloud-based applications through its vastly increased capacity, but MEC, in particular, will take them to the next level Henceforth, the IoT (Internet of Things) will massively benefit from MEC. By their very nature, the connected devices that will be littered around our homes and cities will require any computing tasks to be done in the cloud. Bringing cloud computing closer to them will be better for the reliability, speed and efficiency of their operation and efficiency.
This, in turn, will prove to be a big boon for the global market and tech-leaders like Qualcomm, Huawei, Intel, Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung, among others, that are also leading its development.
Certainly, 5G mobile computing will cause a whirlwind the moment it will hit the market but till when can we expect it to reach us – the common folks?
Before its worldwide commercial launch expected in 2020, numerous telecom operators like Korea telecom and Telstra have already given the world an insight for what is to come by using 5G technology at the 2018 Winter Olympics and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
More than that since Mobile edge computing will be an essential component of 5G, the general public can expect the debut of the astounding combination in smart-phones till 2020. Prior to that, 5G-enhanced services of fixed wireless broadband will likely begin rolling out in 2019.
An exuberant test of this technology was also witnessed when InterDigital conducted the first real-world trial of the technology in Bristol back in August 2017 in the form of a three-week trial that took the form of a city-wide treasure hunt, with location-specific video riddles beamed to participants’ smart-phones.
Considering that it lacked a full 5G network environment to provide it with much needed back it up, the trial successfully recorded latency of as little as several milliseconds and video distribution that was implicitly more efficient than with standard IP technology. But, there hasn’t been a completely successful trial for the same. So far, all the experiments done on this tech has been focusing on only singular aspects.
Needless to say, it’s going to be a bumpy road ahead for this marvellous piece of technology as it still requires a lot of work and a subsequent amount of research on the same is still in progress.
However, among all its advantages 5G technology has not been without speculations and doubts that are well placed in their own right.
For one, the 5G radio system isn't compatible with 4G radios that elucidate more hardware costs that may reach up to billions. Even though network operators who have purchased wireless radios previously, may be able to upgrade to the new 5G system via software rather than going the extra mile by buying new equipment, the appropriate returns are, by such up gradation, still in question.
Also, some cities have blocked deployment of 5G systems because of health and safety concerns which were even supported by a petition opposing the high density of these towers.
But with countries like USA and China implementing this technology in their markets nation-wide, it seems like there will be no stopping 5G mobile and networking systems to slowly outreach to other countries and with time, to overthrow the existing 4G networks.
Soon, the future will be upon us and hopefully, it will lead us to a more technologically advanced world that will not only eradicate first world problems but will also give way to the dawn of a new era extraordinaire.
Written by:
KIRTI BHARDWAJ