The current dilemma facing 5G: alarming power consumption and slower-than-expected base station construction speed

Have you changed your phone to 5G? My 4G is enough for me, and I can watch videos without any lag. Why should I spend more money to use 5G?

I have received several calls from operators asking me to upgrade to 5G. The first few times, I patiently said that it was not necessary, but when they called me again later, I started swearing.

Satellite laser links for communications

What exactly is 5G? Is there really a need for its development at present?

1. What is 5G?

5G is the fifth generation of mobile communication technology. Compared with previous communication technologies, its main performance is ultra-high speed, ultra-low latency, and ultra-high density. One of the main reasons why 5G is faster than 4G is that it uses electromagnetic waves with shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies as carriers for transmission.

2. Frequency band and characteristics of electromagnetic waves

1. Electromagnetic wave spectrum: The medium of wireless communication is electromagnetic waves, and its spectrum range is very wide, ranging from ultra-long waves with a frequency of only a few hertz and a wavelength of 10 kilometers, to lasers with a frequency of 300THz (1T=1000G) and a wavelength of only 1μm.

Electromagnetic spectrum

2. Wavelength and energy: Since the speed of light C = wavelength λ × frequency f, the photon energy e = frequency f × Planck's constant h. C remains unchanged, the higher f, the smaller λ and the greater the energy e.

3. Wavelength and transmission: The longer the wavelength, the stronger the obstacle-circumventing ability. For example, radio waves can bypass tall buildings to propagate. The shorter the wavelength, the higher the energy and the stronger the penetrating ability. For example, X-rays can penetrate the human body.

4. Frequency bands that can be used for communication: In theory, any frequency band of electromagnetic waves can be used for communication, but in practice, those generally used are between 3KHz and 100GHz, as well as some light waves.

laser

3. Advantages and Disadvantages of 5G

From the perspective of materialist dialectics, everything has both positive and negative effects, and 5G is no exception. Its main advantages and disadvantages are as follows:

1. Advantages

1) Ultra-large bandwidth, faster network access speed, and peak speed exceeding 10Gbps.

2) Unprecedented bandwidth and Internet speed have spawned a huge application market, such as the Internet of Things, smart cities and other large-scale applications.

2. Disadvantages

1) The coverage area is small, and more base stations need to be built, about 4 to 5 times the number of 4G base stations!

2) Higher energy consumption. 5G base stations require much more electricity than 4G base stations, which indirectly leads to a significant increase in the cost of base station construction.

3) The theoretical speed of 5G is 100 times that of 4G, and the existing base station optical fiber cannot meet it and needs to be rebuilt or strengthened.

Communication base station

4. Energy consumption of 5G base stations

China Mobile announced that its costs increased by 10.7 billion in the first half of 2020. This increase was mainly due to a significant increase in power consumption of base stations. However, this is only based on the construction of less than one-tenth of the number of 4G base stations.

According to public data, the mainstream frequency band of 4G is 1.8GHz, while the mainstream frequency band of 5G in my country is 3.5GHz. From the perspective of energy conservation, more work must be done with more energy. According to the power consumption test results of Huawei and ZTE's 4G and 5G base stations in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the power consumption of 5G is 2.5 to 3.5 times that of 4G under 100% load.

5G base station energy consumption

5. The development speed of 5G

It is precisely because of the increase in costs caused by the surge in energy consumption that the profits of the three major operators have fallen to varying degrees. In order to reduce costs, it is rumored that some operators turn off 5G signals every night.

In addition, the actual market demand for 5G is also lower than expected. According to the data released by the three major domestic operators, the current growth rate of 5G has declined significantly, so the enthusiasm of operators to build 5G base stations is far less than when they built 4G. In 2020, the three major operators built about 580,000 5G base stations. It should be noted that China Mobile alone built more than 700,000 4G base stations that year.

5G Base Station

Cost and real demand are stumbling blocks. No wonder some experts said before that it might take another 2 to 3 years before the demand for 5G emerges in large quantities.

6. Is it still necessary to develop 5G?

The answer is yes! Although many people like me do not have demand for it yet, it does not mean that it does not need to be developed. The reasons are as follows:

1. At present, 5G energy consumption is indeed a stumbling block, but with the upgrading of chip technology, AI technology, material technology, etc., there is still room for reduction.

AI Chip CG

2. The amount of data transmitted per unit of energy consumption is greater, and there will definitely be demand in the future!

3. There are many measures to reduce costs, such as the "joint construction and sharing of 5G base stations" plan of the three major operators.

4. Seize the market, activate market demand, drive market development and even change the social development model.

5. It is conducive to industrial layout and technology accumulation, and will help us gain an advantage in the next round of global competition.

Watt designed the first steam engine

All the development of human science and technology follows this law: discover the law - use the law at a high cost - apply it universally, reduce costs - change people's lifestyles. This is true for trains, airplanes, and mobile phones, and of course 5G communication technology is no exception!