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Tech-Op-ed February, 2019 SOUNDING OFF


By Michael Skinner Editor


New Year, New G 3


G brought the internet to the mobile phone, 4G brought faster real-time networking services that allowed apps like Uber to succeed, and 5G? So far, it's brought a tangled mess of expectations and a lot of chest-thump-


ing. The practical upshot is that 5G promises an exponential increase in speed over 4G, far lower latency and the ability to connect together a massive amount of devices. The International Telecommunication Union first described 5G as a net-


work with theoretical download capacity of up to 20 Gb/s with targeted deploy- ment in 2020. The 3GPP, a collaboration between groups of telecommunica- tions standards associations, is responsible for developing and maintaining previous standards and the latest one, called 5G NR (New Radio). The major developers of modems and infrastructure are Qualcomm,


Huawei, Intel, Nokia, Ericsson, ZTE, Cisco, and Samsung. In the U.S., both Verizon and AT&T claim to be the first to have rolled out actual 5G networks, while across the Pacific, Korea-based KT launched a commercial 5G service robot that guides visitors through the Seoul Sky Observatory. Verizon recently launched a 5G fixed home internet service, but based on


a standard developed by its own Verizon 5G Technology Forum (V5GTF), and not on the 5G NR standard. However, the company has claimed that its serv- ice can reach speeds of up to 1 Gb/s. AT&T then caused controversy with its decision to update the network


indicator on the home screen of existing 4G LTE smartphones to 5G E, which stands for 5G “Evolution.” This was instantly criticized by competitors and consumers alike, as the technology that it claims backs up its 5G E network is already part of the LTE-Advanced standard and in use by Verizon, T-Mo- bile and Sprint. With latencies projected to be as low as 1 millisecond, initial frequency


bands for 5G are proposed around 600 to 700 MHz, and 3 to 4, 26 to 28, and 38 to 42 GHz, significantly adding to capacity over today’s mobile technolo- gies. Above 30 GHz, the millimeter Wave (mmWave) band will offer localized coverage, since it can only operate in short, line-of-sight applications. In the future, 5G deployments may use mmWave frequency bands up to 86 GHz. One of the most exciting applications of 5G communications will be dri-


verless vehicles. If every object on the road can be communicating with every- thing else nearby in real time, the efficiency and safety of road travel will be drastically improved. This relies on vehicles exchanging relatively small bits of information nearly instantly, reacting, and passing on new information in an organic web of decision-making. Currently, there are nearly 50 corpora- tions working on autonomous driving. While we hear the most from the trendy names, such as Tesla and Alphabet, established automakers, including Audi, Volvo, BMW, and Mercedes, have built partnerships with tech companies to outfit and demo autonomous concept cars. In fact, research firm Gartner pre- dicts that by 2025, there will be roughly 600,000 autonomous vehicles operat- ing worldwide. Even so, there are 5G naysayers. William Webb, CEO, Weightless SIG,


poses the question that if autonomous vehicles must be completely reliable without mobile coverage, why should we need mobile coverage at all? His point is that car-to-car communications don’t require a network, as they can use existing Wi-Fi and 4G technology to connect directly to each other. The more popular opinion is that vehicles should be able to connect to


any target, near or far, from city structures to the cloud, which requires a new standard that includes all possible applications. At any rate, we can expect to see large-scale, standardized 5G telecom-


munications infrastructure projects by the end of this year. Just like the adop- tion of the internet revolutionized the way we communicate with each other worldwide, the next step is to free it from the box and take it to the streets. r


PUBLISHER’S NOTE


By Jacob Fattal Publisher


Blurring Industry Lines T


he lines are becoming increasingly blurred between the automotive and electronics industries, as OEMs that traditionally lived in peace now compete for the same suppliers. With a global component shortage in


full swing, and greater electrification of vehicles on the way, the market for components, such as MLCCs, is expected to get worse before it gets better. Held in early January, in Las Vegas, CES is strong evidence of this


trend. What began as a spinoff from the Chicago Music Show has morphed in- to a global, annual event attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and has become the place to show off consumer gadgets. In recent years, however, the show has hosted a growing number of automotive suppliers. In fact, it has been named by USA Today as one of the top 10 best automotive shows. The trends identified at CES ripple through rest of the electronics indus-


try. This year, focal points included 5G connectivity, virtual assistants, artifi- cial intelligence (AI), and connected vehicles. Google and Amazon demonstrat- ed the possibilities of their virtual assistants integrated into smart vehicles, which connect to the internet to answer users’ questions while traveling. Even Apple announced a raft of partnerships with other suppliers, allow-


ing its AirPlay feature to be used on competitor’s TVs. Apple has traditional- ly held onto the rights of its services extremely tightly. This is further evi- dence of the amount of interactive electronics and entertainment demand the autonomous and connected vehicle market is sure to provide. The willingness for top suppliers to work together for interconnectivity


has become a powerful initiative even in our own industry. As we head to IPC APEX, the CFX and Hermes initiatives are bringing more equipment suppli- ers into the fold, presenting an exponential increase in machine value and ca- pability for customers. The internet has become a resource that most of us cannot do without.


Further, the smartphone has allowed us to remain connected no matter where we go. While this year will see many colorful developments in high-tech, expect more gray areas between industries. r


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