Internet of Things
Leveraging 5g for a faster, smarter, more fLexibLe iiot
By Yuan Lee, wireless product sales manager, Advantech Europe Between 1GHz to 6GHz, called the sub-6GHz
premise owners the flexibility to set up their own standalone 5G networks for private applications. Companies can choose various ways to connect IIoT devices, including using a public network with service-level assurances, flexible hybrid public/private configurations, or their own private 5G network on-premises.
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REvoLutionising connEctivitY EvERYwhERE The move from 4G wireless communication to 5G is unlike any before it. Whereas previous transitions have delivered improvements over the preceding generation, 5G is seeking to become the main pillar of connectivity linking people to people, people to machines, and machines to machines. Compared with 4G, 5G technology can reduce
latency more than tenfold. At the same time, throughput and connection density are both up to 10 times greater while spectrum efficiency is three times higher. Traffic capacity and network efficiency are up to 100 times greater. However, other advancements that are coming
with 5G, besides the increased throughput and capacity, will have an even greater influence over our lives and work in the future. The new standard introduces features like massive machine-type communication (mMTC) and ultra-reliable low- latency communication (URLLC) which address the scalability and mission-critical needs of industrial users. Also featuring enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), 5G is set to revolutionise the way people and things connect. Its impact will be as important as the first leap from zero to analogue mobile. As far as industrial applications are concerned,
5G will enable huge expansion of the IIoT and will thus have a critical role in powering Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution.
how 5g is hAppEning 5G networks are beginning to roll out now, in developed territories worldwide. The connectivity options offered by 5G can be seen in three distinct frequency bands. For worldwide service, 5G network is now opened up, operating on the three different frequency bands: low, medium, and high. The 5G network contains three different types of cells, each requiring very specific antennas but providing a different trade-off between download speed and distance, and service areas. The lowest frequency band is under 1GHz,
which can be regarded as being similar to LPWAN. It is suitable for very wide area geographical coverage, with the trade-off that download speed is reduced.
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he transition to 5G is happening now as public networks, often containing a mix of LTE and 5G technologies, go live – giving
band, 5G delivers a varied balance between the throughput and also the distance. Most operators are trying to offer services in this band as they work to roll out their networks countrywide. Finally, there are the mmWave frequencies,
which bring a different type of thinking to the ways in which telecom networks can be used. Fixed wireless access points can deliver extremely high throughput, raising the prospects for a fantastic user experience. On the other hand, the transmission distance based on this type of frequency spectrum is extremely short. Moreover, the deployment type is very different
from the previous 3G and 4G infrastructures, both in terms of the 5G core network, and also the 5G radios. However, unlike the previous generations, which required simultaneously migrating the radio- access and core networks to introduce the new technologies, 5G offers a continuous migration path that lets operators spread their investment over time, gradually introducing more and more 5G applications and services. This extra flexibility permits broadly two types of
implementation. The first model we call Standalone, or SA deployment. This uses both the new 5G core network together with the 5G radios, so the entire system runs on 5G technology. The second deployment model is Non-Standalone, or NSA. An NSA 5G setup combines existing LTE infrastructure with 5G radio access to deliver the advantages of 5G while retaining the existing investment in LTE network infrastructure. The core network can then be slowly migrated into the 5G core network. To gain early access to 5G enhanced capacity
and speeds, many operators have chosen 5G NSA deployment using dual connectivity with 4G and 5G radios. This is termed EN-DC (E- UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity), where E-UTRAN signifies LTE, while New Radio refers to the 5G radio network. In EN-DC, devices can send and receive
data using 4G and 5G simultaneously to independent sites as needed. The network carries traffic over both 4G and 5G, each in its own spectrum, aggregating the content in the device. This can deliver multi-gigabit speeds in real-world deployments. According to 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership
Project), there are three different phases of the 5G migration. The first phase is called early drop, where operators begin delivering a subset of 5G services and performance advantages to subscribers using the NSA setup. Following this phase, operators start replacing their 5G core network. Here, the network is somewhere between 4G and real 5G. As a result, some regions may experience advantages including the ultra-low latency
properties and massive throughput, while others may not (because there is obviously a timeframe for swapping the 5G core). After the complete core network has been
replaced by the 5G core, operators can start delivering the “real” 5G service, including features like network slicing, virtualisation, and ultra-low latency that are particularly relevant to the industrial applications we are most interested in.
thE 5g EffEct on iiot Until the advent of 5G, IIoT users had several concerns about using public cellular networks. Compared with consumer users, industrial communities typically require different network features and capabilities. Preceding LTE networks offered little flexibility, whereas 5G lets service providers offer many additional choices for users to select the best solution to fulfil their applications. Customers can take advantage of 5G services
through the public network, in a hybrid public/private deployment, or a fully independent private network in the following ways:
1. Simple use of ordinary public network
2. Public network with agreed service level guarantee from the telecom operator.
3. Ask a public operator for network slicing, where the operator assigns a specific spectrum to service a customer’s enterprise network.
4. Combine use of the public network with privately-owned, local infrastructure. This can be an effective way to address any cyber security concerns.
5. It is possible to set up an independent, private 5G network, or Standalone Non- Public Network (SNPN), that uses the public 5G spectrum.
6. Finally, a standalone private network can use an unlicensed private spectrum, depending on the country. The German and US governments, for example, have announced an unlicensed spectrum for private use by enterprises, subject to a few rules. This lets users set up a 5G network on their own premises without paying a licence fee to use the 5G spectrum.
These six options give IIoT users flexibility to
achieve an optimal implementation using the type of network that can give the best performance and return on investment.
November 2021 Instrumentation Monthly
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