With the advent of new internet technology, understanding the impacts of 5G positioning is essential for everyone diving into 5G at home. As the fifth generation of the internet, or 5G, comes of age, promising unimaginable speeds and vastly superior performance.
More so, especially when compared to even its immediate predecessor, 4G, a slew of technological challenges and hurdles has since come to light. Furthermore, this mainly pertains to the technology’s operations below the 6 GHz frequency band, making penetrating walls, furniture, and other obstacles challenging. Ideally, not an issue with 4G or the previous generations of wireless technologies.
Blazing Internet Speeds And Understanding 5G Positioning
Fortunately, 5G brings us faster speeds, downloads, and a more stable infrastructure within our cellular networks. Dating back to the mid-nineties, 5G positioning in cellular networks made its debut. Moreover, our industry today has plenty of performance requirements regarding accuracy, latency, reliability, and more.
While this impedes 5G’s ability to deliver reliable performance indoors, in houses, offices, , and restaurants, we can look forward to a few solutions to this problem. While these factors have slowed the commercial adoption of 5G, it is unlikely to prevent wider adoption altogether.
More importantly, the dream of a blazing-fast 5G internet at your home is alive and well. But it is more complex than the earlier generations of wireless connectivity. This article provides a brief primer on indoor 5G positioning and performance requirements.
The Rise of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS)
The initial solution for this problem was introducing multiple units that bounce electromagnetic waves around the indoor environment. But, more importantly, this proved to be substantially expensive. And this increased the complexity of WiFi systems by an order of magnitude. Unfortunately, this put it out of reach for most households and small businesses.
A better, more seamless solution is using (RIS), which can effectively deal with the signal-blocking problem and eliminate areas with communication shading. Solving these issues helps solve 5G positioning complexities for home users.
It does this while being significantly cheaper, having relatively fewer components, and a simple system overall, making it easy for widespread adoption. As a result, this novel new technology solves a potentially billion-dollar problem, unlocking substantial value in the process.
In-Building Coverage Systems, Ownership & Business Models – 5G Positioning
5G has essentially unveiled a massive new opportunity for operators of indoor venues and building owners. The need for denser coverage and the inherent issues with the 5G positioning frequency means that buildings require extensive spectrum options. Furthermore, while requiring upfront investments, it can result in substantial value in the long run.
Depending on the usage density, and the challenges posed by obstructions, buildings will require either a distributed antenna system or in-building small cell systems to ensure coverage. Ideally, they can do this on a multi-carrier, single-carrier, or private-private access. And with the potential for revenue share or complementary services for visitors.
Meanwhile, offices, campuses, stadiums, and malls, will all find great utility with this model, with apartment or multi-family dwellings close behind. In addition, given the extensive infrastructure required for 5G connectivity, such models help share the costs, bringing down the burden on carriers alone.
Struggling With 5G Connectivity? Here’s What To Do
5G offers plenty in terms of new and exciting capabilities for consumers. For example, if it took 5 minutes to download an entire movie in 4G, fifth-generation internet speeds can do the same in 30 seconds, but it’s best not to get your hopes up too high, especially given the challenges persist.
If you’re struggling with 5G positioning ranges and connectivity issues at home, work, or any other place, the best course would be to switch to 4G, at least temporarily. It’s pretty straightforward to , and iOS isn’t that far behind.
Conclusion
We will see the continuing growth and penetration of 5G throughout this decade. More so, as newer technologies come alongside innovative business models to bring it within reach of the masses. Until then, however, it is best to keep your options open. Understanding 5G positioning is essential, especially for home users in this burgeoning new field.
