5G networks built for connected innovation platform: GSMA Thrive North America 2020
Session three of the ongoing GSMA Thrive North America 2020 looked at how 5G is accelerating across the globe.
Opening the discussion, Harrison Lung, Partner, McKinsey & Co., said that 5G has accelerated in 2020. Verizon has launched 5G CPE for home broadband. 5G is transforming the innovation across industries. There are continued global deployments, technologies enabled, new device launches and adoption, and new use cases. There is broader advanced connectivity to provide an always-on model. There are a variety of use cases.
Erik Ekudden, CTO, Ericsson, stated that by 2025, there will be 2.8 billion 5G subscriptions. 5G has the potential to cover up to 65 percent of the world’s population by 2025. There have been lockdown restrictions on fixed and mobile networks. We are seeing traffic shifts, whether to homes, or outside roads. Networks have to be prepared for everything. FWA buildout will accelerate in the coming years.
The networks are built for connected innovation platform. We can better support the various industries and enterprises. To be able to consume network services, we need to have network slices, including for private. The right tools and environments are connected to the network. Developer ecosystems are now being onboarded to 4G and 5G. The operations data is also flowing through the network.
We are also seeing multi-vendor apps. We are managing lifecycle of these apps. We have introduced cloud RAN for the enterprises, as well. The network platform, in a decade ahead, will see a collaborative, automated physical world. There will be connected intelligent machines, and digital twins. We will also have the Internet of Senses.
The enablers are going to be limitless connectivity, networking compute and storage, and the compute fabric. There will also be trustworthy infrastructure and cognitive networks will become data driven. AI will be built into products from grounds up.
We have a great foundation for the network platform. It is designed to carry vast range of messages, insights and sensory information needed. It will be accessible everywhere, always-on and with guaranteed performance. There will be enabling interactions that empower an intelligent, sustainable, and connected world.
Network edge critical
Kevin Dallas, President and CEO, Wind River, said that the network edge is a critical component of 5G. Operators are looking to invest $9 billion in 5G. There will be an intelligent edge by 2025.
75 percent of the compute, data processing, and AI, will be done at the edge. 41.6 billion IoT device connections will generate 79.4 zettabytes of data. There will be $700 billion spend on software and services for new edge-based AI systems.
There will be a wave of AI-infused edge apps that need new 5G low latency compute at the distributed edge. They also need safety. When the AI-infused world happens, AI will become a part of your life. Factory automation is a benchmark for manufacturing.
Covid-19 pandemic may force an earlier rate of adoption of 5G. It has accelerated plans for expansion by 30 percent in the USA, and 62 percent in China. There will be transformation in workflows within months. 5G will enable the next-gen apps. We also have to look differently at the infrastructure. Today’s infrastructure will not get us to and past 2025.
The 5G future is here. We have to disaggregate network functions. 5G V-RANs will be common. Companies are leading the way in bringing cloud-native and virtualized scenarios. The new 5G intelligent edge demands cloud-native app development that enables services to run. on a distributed edge cloud. Autonomous vehicles are an example of distributed system. And, so are drones!
Verizon Wireless is taking a lead in developing 5G V-RAN solutions. Wind River is proud to be a partner. We are making great progress. We are delivering the Wind River AI Studio offering. We also bring real-time leadership.
In a fireside chat, Ms. Megan Carnes Fazzari, US Industry Manager, Mobile & Connectivity, Facebook, said that there are so many apps for 5G. The operators need to prioritize them. Finally, what are you excited about?
Bruno Cendon Martin, Director, Wireless, Facebook Reality Labs, Facebook Inc., said AR/VR will bring new capabilities. We also need to see what is keeping us awake, we look at how 5G will evolve. We are still discovering 5G. They need to evolve and embrace the future of AR/VR.
I am excited about that the superpowers will be enabled by capabilities of 5G networks, with brain speeds. Every millisecond will count. 5G will be the compute platform of the future. There will be so many new apps that we cannot even think about.
5G indoors
Finally, Imran Akbar, Head of New Business, Samsung Electronics Networks, added that 5G should also be brought indoors. We are already bringing 5G into the factories, cars, etc. Enhanced mobile broadband will go up to 20GB in next few years, There is ultra-reliable low latency communications. There will also be massiveMTC.
5G indoors is very important, as nearly 80 percent of the total data traffic will be generated indoors. In 2018, 65 percent of traffic was generated indoors using LTE. We are introducing the Samsung Link family — the Link cell, Link HubPro, and Link Hub. You can extend your boundary towards a better indoor 5G experience.
Samsung Link supports diverse operator needs.
There are lot of 5G use cases also popping up in the vertical markets.We can bring 5G indoors for warehouses and manufacturing. There can be use cases for autonomous robots, content sharing, video surveillance, and public safety. Samsung is actively testing 5G indoors, helping enterprises build a robust 5G network. We are providing better 5G experience with ease of deployment and management.
Harisson Lung concluded that operators need to answer questions to further accelerate 5G in 2021. These can be addressing business models, marketing and sales, technology and network rollout, operation improvement, and capex investment strategy.
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