5G is set to transform the mobile landscape with blazing fast speeds, but just how fast are we talking?
5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology | What Is It?
The Next Generation Mobile Networks alliance states that for something to be considered 5G it must offer data rates of several tens of megabits per second to tens of thousands of users simultaneously, while a minimum of 1 gigabit per second should be offered to tens of workers on the same office floor.
That’s all a little vague, but the signs are promising. Some estimates put download speeds at up to 1000 times faster than 4G, potentially exceeding 10Gbps. That would enable you to download an entire HD film in less than a second.
Network TypeDownload Speeds3G Network384Kbps4G Network100Mbps5G Network1-10Gbps (theoretical)
Some sources, such as The Korea Times, even reckon 5G networks will be capable of transmitting data at up to 20Gbps. To put that in context, while LTE-A can theoretically achieve speeds of around 300Mbps, you’re not likely to get more than around 42Mbps in reality and standard 4G has real world speeds of just around 14Mbps.
Nokia’s thoughts are similarly ambitious, with the company suggesting that you’ll be able to stream 8K video in 3D over 5G.
Some estimates are more conservative though, but even the most conservative estimates put it at several dozen times faster than 4G.
Already 5G trials are taking place, with Verizon in the US for example showing that its technology can achieve download speeds of 30-50 times faster than 4G. That would enable you to download a full movie in around 15 seconds, versus around 6 minutes on 4G.
The 5G Innovation Centre has achieved even higher speeds in test environments, of around 1 terabit per second (1Tbps). That’s roughly 65,000 times faster than typical 4G speeds and would enable you to download a file around 100 times larger than a full movie in just 3 seconds.
However, that’s unlikely to be replicated in the real world. Indeed, in an actual-use environment (rather than a specially built test site), DOCOMO has recorded speeds in excess of 2Gbps, which is still extremely impressive. Closer to home, EE has begun trialling 5G speeds of 1Gbps.
Ofcom for its part sees 5G as achieving real world speeds of between 10 and 50Gbps, which is insanely fast whichever end of the scale it ends up at. In short, it’s clear that it will leave 4G in its dust.
UPLOAD SPEEDS
Fixed Wireless Access, or FWA, is an established means of providing internet access to homes using wireless mobile network technology rather than fixed lines.
While FWA can often prove more convenient to set up, its key weakness compared to fixed line broadband is performance. Current mobile network technology simply isn’t able to provide download speeds or latency levels that can compete with a modern fibre broadband connection.
However, the next stage of FWA will utilise 5G network technology, such as beam-forming and a high-frequency mmWave (millimeter wave) spectrum, to provide a considerable performance boost to wireless broadband services.
According to an April 2018Â Market Insights report, the 5G FWA market is expected to grow 84% between 2019 and 2025. It could eventually be worth more than $40 Billion.
Why is 5G FWA such a big deal?
5G FWA retains the key benefit of current FWA offerings in that it enables the establishment of a quick and cheap broadband service, even in areas that don’t have ready access to fixed line home broadband. 5G FWA doesn’t require any engineering works at the customer end – just the provision of so-called Customer Premise Equipment (CPEs), which can be readily self-installed by the subscriber.
The aforementioned Market Insights report estimates that 5G FWA will reduce the initial cost of establishing ‘last-mile’ connectivity by as much as 40% compared to a physical fibre line approach.
As a result, 5G FWA is expected to have a huge impact even in developed markets like the US, where there is a sizeable disparity in broadband accessibility between the major cities and sparsely populated rural areas.
The chief advantage here, however, is performance. 5G Fixed Wireless Access will be able to deliver a level of service that’s similar to a fibre-based broadband network, and should even be able to provide data speeds that are well ahead of current broadband standards.
Initial 5G trials have reported download speeds of 10 to 25Gbps, while the current average UK home broadband speed is around 30Mbps. While so-called ‘gigabit-speed’ home broadband services are incoming, 5G FWA could prove to be a match in many instances.
This means that 5G FWA needn’t just be a replacement service in areas where fixed broadband is unavailable. It could also be offered as a competing service to fixed home broadband in more built-up and highly populated areas. More competition, of course, means lower prices and improved services for the end customer.
Why is 5G FWA so much better than 4G FWA?
5G FWA will be able to utilise much higher frequency bands than current 4G networks can support. This will include so-called millimetre bands like 28GHz, which have much more available spectrum than LTE.
This additional spectrum means that there will be more capacity for data traffic and greater download speeds.
These millimetre bands also have a tighter radio beam, so they can be focused for use by fewer users in the immediate vicinity. This means that performance won’t be adversely affected by a high concentration of users, as is the case with current solutions.
Also important is the matter of of latency. With 5G latency predicted to be as low as 1ms, there won’t be the significant lag in response times that 4G FWA suffers from. Just like with fixed broadband, when you click on a web link or hit play to stream a video it will respond immediately.
How will 5G FWA benefit 5G mobile?
5G FWA will support future mobile usage, and will operate to the same standards as forthcoming 5G mobile networks. The latter won’t commence rolling out to the public until 2020.
This presents mobile operators with the opportunity to use 5G FWA as a means to prepare their networks for full-scale 5G network deployments.
In other words, 5G FWA can be used as a stepping stone to full 5G mobility. It could potentially contribute to a much smoother and quicker transition from 4G to 5G for mobile users.
Conversely, of course, future 5G FWA services will be able to make use of 5G network technology as it spreads around the country.
Who’s working on it?
Since early 2017, the UK Government’s 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme has provided impetus and funding to a number of University-linked 5G testbed facilities across the country. Fixed Wireless Access has been identified as a key 5G rollout model to emerge from these tests.
The 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme is closely related and shares a funding allocation with the Local Full Fibre Networks Programme (LFFNP). Fixed Wireless Access is cited as a “common interest” between the two, and the UK Government is encouraging close collaboration.
In the commercial space, Samsung is working on 5G FWA technology in a number of countries, including here in the UK. From July to December 2017, the Korean tech giant partnered up with British telecoms infrastructure firm Arqiva to conduct Europe’s first UK 5G FWA trial.
Operating across several locations in central London, the test operated in the key 28 GHz band and yielded a stable two-way mmWave link with downlink speeds of around 1Gb. This would be sufficient to stream more than 25 UHD 4K TV channels simultaneously.
Arqiva has also started installing thousands of 5G access units on street furniture (such as lamp posts) across a number of London boroughs. This small cell technology will be used by 5G FWA services to wirelessly connect to receivers placed inside homes and business properties.
So far the UK’s four major mobile networks have kept their 5G FWA cards close to their chests. That’s perhaps understandable given ongoing legal wrangling over the forthcoming 5G spectrum auction.
However, it’s worth mentioning that in May 2017 Three acquired UK Broadband, giving it a potential entry point into the mobile broadband market through the Relish brand.
We can also expect EE to be a major player in 5G FWA, especially now that it’s owned by broadband giant BT. EE has been one of the biggest drivers of 4G-powered home broadband since 2013, and in February 2018 it rolled out a Fixed Wireless Access service to help reach the 580,000 UK homes that still don’t have adequate fixed line access.