ILMA Compoundings - Jul/Aug 2021 - 12

5G Update Without
All the Hype
Carriers have been promising that 5G broadband will
provide speeds 600 times faster than what we are used
to. For manufacturers, 5G and its low latency would finally
make Industry 4.0 a reality. However, as Connected
Magazine recently pointed out, carriers struggle just to
triple 4G LTE speeds with 5G.
According to Mike Eddy, vice president of corporate
development at Resonant, 5G is still in the early stages,
which might not be such a bad thing for manufacturers
that are anticipating all its benefits.
Resonant licenses designs frequency filters that ensure a
pure signal. The company recognized early that 5G, with
its higher frequencies and wider bandwidths, would be
very different from 4G. Eddy explained that an iPhone 12
has around 80 filters to ensure that every frequency band
is protected from potential interference. Without those
essential filters, users do not get the data speed they want,
delay increases and battery life goes down.
WHAT'S CHANGED RECENTLY FOR 5G?
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
recently auctioned off 280 megahertz of the highly coveted
C-band spectrum. Eddy calls it the " lifeblood of the
carriers' networks. "
It will take a few years for carriers to put their networks
in place before they can fully realize the potential of 5G.
Eddy thinks that manufacturers should be using this extra
time to think about their digitalization strategy right now.
Then, when the network matures in a few years, they will
be in the position to take advantage of it.
With Industry 4.0 and the connectivity of just about
everything in the factory, manufacturers need high data
speeds and low latency (the time between the user's action
and the response from the website or application to that
action). Speed and low latency are essential, because a
signal must go from device to network and back to another
device. While 5G provides both, it's not a magic wand. To
minimize delay, you must bring all of the network as close
to the device as possible.
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JULY/AUGUST 2021 | COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG
" That's why you hear a lot about 'edge compute' and
'multi-use edge compute.' Because you need to move that
computing cloud as close as possible, " said Eddy. He also
expects to see manufacturers thinking a lot more about what
part of all of this they need to own and control.
Eddy pointed to a trend toward more private 5G networks
for larger organizations, whether for greater security or just
speedier access. John Deere, for example, invested $500,000
in the FCC license auction, so it doesn't have to wait for carriers
to provide 5G in rural areas where the company's factories
are located. That is a great option for a Fortune 500 company,
but what about smaller manufacturers?
Eddy suggested they decide which network operators they
will work with to get the kind of performance they need.
T-Mobile has a jump on other providers due to its merger
with Sprint. Still, Verizon is close behind as the largest buyer
at the recent spectrum auction, investing almost $52 billion.
INDUSTRY RUNDOWN
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