5G is coming. How long can 4G hold out? Will WiFi still have the last laugh?

The mobile phones in Carmen, Mong Kok seem to have not gone far. The 2G mobile phones under the Nokia dynasty have finally become supporting roles. People holding 3G customized mobile phones are in a hurry. 4G is like a bright moon in the sky, illuminating the road of the world for ten years, and 5G is rushing towards us. In the past 30 years, information technology has been upgraded, mobile communications have changed their appearance, and the wind has moved all the grass. Where will the future network go?

5G is coming, the future is bright, but there is still a long way to go

What is 5G? Figuratively speaking, it only takes one second to download a 1G movie.

The world will usher in three major changes in the 5G era.

First, the Internet speed has surged. The 5G benchmark speed has reached 1Gbps, which is basically 10 times that of the 4G mobile network.

The second is the formation of emerging industries. The extremely low latency 5G not only enables the rapid implementation of VR/AR applications, but also makes smart driving, telemedicine, etc. a reality.

Third, it will help build the Internet of Things. 5G networks can provide true interconnection of all things, and the number of connections that can be achieved is 50-100 times that of 4G, making the interconnection of all things possible.

5G's supporting networks, big data, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, cloud computing, blockchain, etc. will themselves bring huge investments.

According to the calculation of relevant agencies of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the scale of my country's information and communication industry (including electronic information manufacturing, telecommunications, software and information technology services, and the Internet industry) reached 6.4 trillion yuan in 2018, accounting for 7.1% of GDP. In the field of Internet of Things, it is expected that at least 3 billion to 5 billion terminals will be connected to the Internet in the next five years, forming the Internet of Everything, which will bring an investment scale of 2 trillion to 3 trillion yuan. Artificial intelligence, blockchain, etc. will also be trillion-level.

5G is full of unlimited prospects, but it also faces many challenges.

On the one hand, there is still a long way to go in base station construction. The longer the distance, the higher the frequency, and the greater the power attenuation, which means that the density of 5G base stations is much greater than that of 4G. Moreover, due to the relatively stringent performance parameter requirements of 5G, the density of 5G base stations is further increased. Overall, the density of 5G base stations will reach 2-3 times that of 4G, and the scale of 5G base stations is expected to exceed 10 million, which is also 2-3 times the number of 4G base stations.

On the other hand, 5G consumes huge power but has significant energy efficiency. The power consumption of a single 5G station is 2.5-3.5 times that of a single 4G station, and the increase in AAU power consumption is the main reason for the increase in 5G power consumption. At present, the full load power of a single station is nearly 3700W, and the existing network power supply and supporting facilities need to be expanded in advance. Although the absolute value of the power consumption of 5G base stations is increasing, its energy efficiency ratio is definitely higher than that of 4G. Data shows that under 5G base stations, every kilowatt-hour of electricity can be used to download more than 5,000 ultra-clear movies. In the 4G era, the same amount of electricity could only download less than 200 movies.

In addition, the 5G strategy, which breaks away from the technical constraints of Qualcomm and other technologies and rises to the level of international discourse power, is also an important factor in our response to challenges.

How long can 4G last? 98% coverage will surely benefit people for a long time

An important premise for the evolution of 5G networks is that 4G and 5G networks will coexist for a long time. 5G and existing networks such as 4G and WiFi can jointly meet the needs of multiple scenarios, realize indoor and outdoor network collaboration, and ensure the smooth transition of existing services without causing interruption or loss of existing network services.

In the early stages of 5G construction, due to incomplete 5G coverage, in order to avoid frequent switching between 4/5G, operators will fall back to 4G with 5G and use 4G's Volte to solve the voice call problem of 5G mobile phones.

The frequency band used by 5G networks is relatively higher, and more base stations need to be built to meet coverage issues, which makes the entire 5G network construction cycle very long. A good 4G network will exist as a basic data network for a very long time.

Data shows that China Mobile's 4G network coverage in administrative villages across the country has exceeded 98%, which means that the 4G network has basically completed universal coverage, and a sound infrastructure system will become a strong guarantee for the long-term and stable use of 4G.

At the end of 2013, China officially issued 4G licenses, and the 4G industry ecosystem began to take shape rapidly. Along with the commercial use of 4G, the performance of smartphones has greatly improved, laying the foundation for the hardware carrier of short videos. As of the second quarter of 2018, 4G users accounted for 1.11 billion of the 1.26 billion people who used mobile phones to access the Internet. Since then, mobile networks have officially moved from the era of text messages and pictures to the era of video and voice.

Theodore Seizer of Bell Labs believes that 5G will not completely replace 4G and WiFi, but will integrate 4G, WiFi and other networks into it to bring users a richer experience.

From this point of view, 4G will exist for a long time as an important supplement to 5G.

WiFi will still have the last laugh. The C position of wireless network is hard to shake

In the field of wireless networks, 4G and 5G have become the main body of outdoor mobile networks, and WiFi is the only choice for indoor networks.

Mobile 4G has become an essential network for our daily travel. The speed of 4G Internet access is much faster than 2G and 3G. With the gradual increase of 4G base station coverage and the gradual decrease of 4G traffic charges, 4G network has been listed as the well-deserved first choice network in mobile scenarios.

In fixed scenarios, WiFi has long been the dominant network. As we all know, WiFi networks have two major advantages: high-speed transmission and free Internet access. In the era of streaming media, whether users are watching video news or playing games and videos, WiFi has become the best choice.

4G/5G wireless routers and portable WiFi based on CPE technology have become popular, converting 4G/5G mobile networks into WiFi wireless networks for sharing by multiple smart terminals such as computers, tablets, mobile phones, and TVs, thus achieving worry-free Internet access.

Compared with broadband networks and mobile networks, WiFi is free and easy to use, which has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. On the one hand, WiFi has built a bridge between network terminals and smart devices. On the other hand, with the launch of WiFi6 and WiFi6E, the highway of network connection has been successfully built, and gigabit network transmission is no longer a bottleneck.

In the field of wide area networks, 4G and 5G are capable of competing with broadband networks, while in the field of wireless networks, WiFi will still occupy the C position and become a broad connector that connects the past and the future.

At this stage, although the 6GHz frequency band of WiFi6E has not yet been opened, the bandwidth is three times that of WiFi6, which makes the future of WiFi6E full of infinite possibilities.

In addition, compared with the high power consumption disadvantages of 5G networks and 5G smart terminals, the low power consumption advantage of WiFi will be fully revealed.

It is no exaggeration to say that in the foreseeable future, WiFi will be the wireless overlord for quite a long time, accompanying the development of 5G all the way and easily having the last laugh.

Foresee the future, meet the future. The future contains human wisdom and also hides human weaknesses. Yilian, the connector of the future, innovates value and empowers the future.