What is 5G?

5G stands for fifth-generation cellular wireless. The first form of 5G was established in 2017. Nowadays there are three types of 5G: Low-band, mid-band, and high-band. As of 2022 these different types of 5G are incompatible with each other and perform differently. 5G is available already in many countries but the changes it provides are still not going to be seen for at least a couple of years. When 4G first arrived in 2010 it took until 2012/2013 before major companies required 4G to make their apps work. Ericsson a leading provider of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has estimated that by 2024 about 40% of the world will be connected by 5G.

1G back in the day was made for analog telecommunications. 2G was the first generation of digital cellular technology. 3G improved the speeds of 2G`s 200 kbps up to several megabits per second. The current 4G can provide speeds from hundreds of Mbps up to even gigabytes of speed. 5G offers bigger channels for faster speeds, and lower latency resulting in high responsiveness, and multi-device connectivity.

Why AI and 5G?

Adopting 5G networks is complex and has many obstacles to becoming popular around the world. To overcome those complexities the industry is trying to integrate artificial intelligence into networks. The idea of AI implementations into 5G would reduce costs, optimize network performance, and build new revenue streams. AI is already being used to improve network quality to offer personalized services that improve customer experience and service. AI would help considerably in the transition to 5G networks as it would recuperate some of the cost during transition to 5G networks. As both 5G and AI are in early development there are big problems to be resolved. Effective mechanisms for collecting, structuring, and analyzing the enormous amount of data gathered by AI are still to be developed. That’s why the early adopters of AI who will find solutions to these problems will be in a frontrunner position as 5G networks become more popular.

Smartphones have gotten increasingly smaller but the core algorithms that run them have not evolved since the ’90s. This is why 5G technology uses a lot more power than desired in today’s devices. Replacing wireless algorithms with deep learning AI technology would reduce power consumption and improve performance. Current cellular networks operate on radio wave frequency. Radio waves are used in many modern technologies. Telecommunication is for example widely being operated in radio frequencies. National laws regulate interferences between users on different radio waves. There is a concern in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regarding the growing use of wireless technologies as their wide use in different devices could overcrowd the airwaves making them unusable. There is a proposition to start developing devices that would not broadcast on the same frequency every time. AI algorithms would be used to find available frequencies and therefore avoid overcrowding wireless airwaves.

5G is twenty times faster than 4G, but that is not the only benefit it has compared to older generations. 5G has a very low latency which can be taken advantage of.  The low latency provides the ability to broadcast near real-time video transmissions for sporting events or immediate surveillance camera footage for safety purposes. 5G technology uses Internet of Things (IoT) sensors as they are power efficient and have a long lifespan. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology that uses sensors or actuators to inform about the status of items such as cars, light bulbs, or other objects while being connected to the internet. These objects can be analyzed and even controlled from distance via wireless internet connections. This analyzed data is then used to make various decisions.

Edge computing is the concept of analyzing and processing data on servers close to the applications they serve. There have been a lot of arguments about the introduction of connected products as they haven’t to this date caused the market to spike. The idea of edge computing has resurfaced as its benefits are good. By fusing big data, IoT and AI recent advances in technology have started to transform sectors and the amount of value that all these connections can offer consumers. This transformation is accelerated by 5G since AI processing is easily supported by the 5G network architecture. 5G network architecture will change the future of artificial intelligence. While AI will enable computers and systems to operate at levels of intelligence compared to humans, 5G will improve the speed and integration of other technologies.

What 5G will provide in the future?

Advanced viewing options like 3D viewing and possibilities to view a game from different camera angles will become available. Wireless virtual reality (VR) will also be something people can enjoy anywhere at any time. Augmented reality (AR) will provide realistic services like virtual museum rounds. Streaming from a wireless device will have extremely high quality. Games can be played on the cloud effortlessly and controlled by others from a distance. The computing power self-driving cars will require to perform will be achieved by 5G and AI as the 3D maps of cities are being uploaded to vehicles in real time. Also, traffic and software updates require the power of 5G to work properly. The technology used in smart homes will become better and become able to perform more complex entities on its own without any human input. Items that don’t need constant input such as farm equipment, automatic teller machines (ATM), medical equipment, or remote-controlled heavy will be able to work on the same battery for 10 years while still periodically sending data. Technicians with specialized skills will be able to operate this machinery from anywhere in the world. Cities and municipalities will be able to operate more efficiently using 5G networks. Companies will be able to track different things remotely which will make things easier. In healthcare things like physical therapy via AR, telemedicine, remote recovery, and even remote surgery are innovations that can be provided with the help of 5G. Monitoring patients will become easier for hospitals as sensor networks would track the patients and help doctors give the right medication. Insurance companies could also monitor their subscribers and give them the appropriate treatments and processes based on information gained from the monitoring. 5G will provide a huge leap in technology never seen before.

Sources:

(DEEPSIG, How Artificial Intelligence Improves 5G Wireless Capabilities, 2022)

Insidetelecom, Ways that 5G and AI Compliment Each Other, Adnan Kayyali, 2022

Ferrovial, Internet of Things, 2023