Evolution to 5G technology offers variety of benefits

Two new wireless technologies, 5G and Wi-Fi 6, offer potentially significant benefits to the audiovisual (AV) industry, according to a social media expert.

The Fifth-Generation technology, better known as 5G, was released in 2018 and will continue to be developed throughout 2020, Deniz Unay, who has been involved with various social media campaigns and government education programs, told Anadolu Agency.

"First, I should clarify the differences between 5G and 4G LTE, the version mostly used nowadays. In many cases, the internet speed that 4G offers have never been achieved by most smart phones, hence it took the term LTE," Unay said.

"Some versions are referred as '4G LTE advanced', which is the actually promised 4G technology, but the telecommunication companies worried that referring to it only as 4G will make customers think the service were downgraded," he added.

Evolution to 5G technology

The technology of the first generation, allowing us to basically call each other, was first developed to 2G, bringing the short message service. The broadband and internet connectivity came with 3G technology, and 4G made the connection speed much faster, Unay said.

"But 5G is a game changer and a great achievement as it allows mobile devices not only to connect to the Internet but also to each other. While 4G is fast, 5G has in fact real-time access, which is 150 times faster," he added.

Stating that speed is not the only thing important in the audiovisual industry, Deniz Unay said: "For those in the AV industry, delay, connectivity density and traffic capacity are also significant variances. The delay will drop to 1ms [millisecond] in 5G, compared to the current 50ms 4G delay.

The ability to transmit sound, in particular, in this type of signal without delay, will bring many new possibilities. There is also a change in way the signals are sent."

Unay went on to say that MIMO (multiple inputs, multiple outputs) and beam formatting will come as two new techniques in 5G.

"MIMO allows a fivefold increase in the number of antennas at a 5G base station, while beam configuration allows a 'direct' connection to each user, ensuring constant speed and connection. This is important when designing rooms -- or stages -- intended for many purposes.

Audience interaction on the network will become more consistent and reliable, thus increasing our ability to use interactive technologies," he added.

Unay stressed that 5G and Wi-Fi 6 promise beyond speed, such as high precision tracking with one-meter accuracy.

"Think of it with surveillance cameras, opening and closing microphones as needed, lighting controls and, of course, targeted digital signage ads. With these releases, the bandwidth becomes their phone, a device they already have with them at all times," he added.

Industries to benefit most from 5G

Stressing that the 5G technology is expected to launch globally in March 2020, Unay said the average person will interact using 5G technology in a variety of ways; from professional areas such as medical, construction and transport, to daily life.

"The technology will allow many medical services to be provided remotely as 5G will enable real-time wireless communication worldwide," Unay said.

"Robotic surgery will be performed in one place by a 'surgeon' from a different location. Patients will be linked to hospitals with monitoring services within the comfort of their own homes," he added.

Unay went on to say that smart factories with wireless interface robots have already been developed in "perfect synchronicity".

The 5G will also allow food industry to fly aircraft to monitor the quality of crops and provide food sources with personalized care, nutrition and water, he said.

The driverless vehicles in major cities will carry passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph (322 kph) in an accident-free environment with the help of 5G.

It is not only the industries that would benefit from the upcoming technology, but also individuals will be able to use it. Video game players, for example, will be able to connect to other players in real-time via virtual reality devices, Unay said.

They will connect to other players around the world and interact with them in real-time, he added.