5G: the driver for smart cities of the future
Never before have we been in a time of such possibilities for boundless connectivity, and the transformation of economy as we know it. 5G is more than just another commercial upgrade, it will shape smart cities.
As the new 5G networks become available, new business models will be possible. the global economy is expected to grow $3.5 Trillion in the mobile vertical alone.
How is 5G different?
Current connectivity has run out of frequency spectrum ranges. 5G covers new frequency spectrum ranges, groups different networks allowing each for different use needs. Millimetric waves used in dense areas such as cities, will allow for high throughput, low latencies, high speed. Small cells using massive mimo antennas and beamforming have shown to be capable of reaching 330 Mbps per channel using a 20 MHz channel of 2.5 GHz spectrum. They don’t travel far though, so the small cells need to be densely placed.
New mediumband commercial spectrum will be available for carriers in the 3.5MHz-6GHz range. NB-IoT standard part of the 5G standard by 3PPPs is rivalling unlicensed spectrum LPWANs. This is the connectivity which will be used by sensors and many of the controlling applications.
What smart city applications will be possible thanks to 5G?
Smart city applications fall within the so called Massive IoT(MIoT) and Massive Critical Services (MCS), some also falling in the group of Massive Broadband (MBD), specially those needing HD video transmission.
MIoT being for IoT, has the characteristics ultra-low energy, ultra-low cost and deep coverage, allowing for small and numerous sensors that can be in places hard to reach such as sewers and water pipes, and with battery life of over 10 years.
MCS need high speed and low latency. Imagine autonomous vehicles, which need to send and receive data by the millisecond. Emergency services connecting to high quality real-time video and data about accidents. Telesurgery. These are the services that will use the 5G millimetric waves.
How will the Smart City vision benefit from 5G?
From 2020 to 2030, there will be huge economic development generated by the telecommunications sector alone as new jobs are created for the network deployment. A lot of smart city solutions which are in prototype stage now will come true and we will see new businesses flourish.
“5G is more than a technology: it will provide a new digital mindset when businesses and citizens realize what it can deliver.” - Günther Oettinger
- Inclusivity with ubiquitous connectivity for all. 5G will allow for cheaper broadband connections, lessening the digital divide.
- Large events at cities where there are lots of people with connections will be the first to benefit from this coverage with espectacular broadcasting applications such as high definition videos from drones or Augmented Reality and VR experiences of the city.
- Urban Technologies that will directly benefit will be vehicle communication for urban mobility, traffic control that will make possible connected and autonomous vehicles.
- Huge efficiencies for energy and water utilities supporting cities economic growth and resiliency. Networks that heal themselves or networks that can take energy from coop microgrids or even from the batteries of our electric vehicles.
- Public Security will also benefit, as Enhanced Mobile Broadband EMBB will make high definition video surveillance and flying drones possible.
- Public transport will have ubiquitous connectivity. Rail will benefit of full connectivity even at Speeds of 500 km/h.
What are the obstacles?
All of the industry players must first agree on the standards that will make part of the 5G network. A lot of work still needs to be done on the spectrum. The aim is for a single unified global standard.
The launch of commercial 5G services requires substantial investments, the availability of a suitable amount of spectrum, and close collaboration between telecom players and key user industries.
Network operators will not invest in new infrastructures if they do not see clear prospects for a solid demand and regulatory conditions that make the investment worthwhile. Equally, industrial sectors interested in 5G for their digitisation process may want to wait until the 5G infrastructure is tested and ready. For this reason they are testing technologies and telecom companies are in alliance with different verticals.
Another key element is small cell deployment. Small cells using Massive MIMO networks technology will be needed by the thousands for the deep coverage needed for 5G. A simplification of the deployment conditions for dense cellular networks would reduce costs and support investments.
These Small Cells, unlike Base Station Cell Towers, of high cost, are much cheaper to deploy. As small as shoebox, a small cell can be installed on street lamp posts. They shouldn’t fall under the same regulations as cell towers.
For cities and states, being first in removing regulation hurdles will mean having a hold on the economic development that the 4th industrial revolution promises.
What is the timeline?
Europe plans to have uninterrupted 5G coverage by 2025. For this every member state has to identify at least one major city to be 5G-enabled. In the road ahead of this roll-out there will be several trials. The Pan-EU Flagship event will be the UEFA Euro 2020.