A new report from TIA, Tolaga Research and InterDigital found 5G deployment hurdles to include too much of a focus on specific sites, backhaul challenges.
The mobile telecommunications space is currently inundated with hype surrounding “5G” technology, though according to a new survey the operators tasked with deploying those networks continue to see specific hurdles that still need to be surmounted before those plans can be realized.
The survey and report, which was conducted in collaboration by the Telecommunications Industry Association and Tolaga Research, and sponsored by InterDigital, found that while 33% of operators questioned expected to offer commercial 5G services by 2020, operators were concerned over the lack of “diversity” in “5G network densification, disparate data offload strategies and uncertainties around backhaul technology.”
Specific to those topics, the survey found operators had diverse plans when it comes to small cell-based network densification efforts, with 75% stating plans to partner with building owners, 64% partnering with electrical utilities and 61% with public lighting companies to deploy the necessary cellular nodes. The survey noted such a high focus on select few deployment models could impact overall plans.
“Without broader partnership strategies, operators in many markets will struggle with their 5G network densification objectives and it is therefore crucial for operators to broaden their range of partnerships to enable the small cell densification demanded by 5G,” the survey stated.
In terms of data offload plans, the survey found operators with different ideas depending on “market conditions, competitive landscapes and the legacy systems that they operate.” Wi-Fi was cited by 79% of operator respondents as a planned way to divert traffic from their 5G-based cellular networks, while 55% said they were looking to deploy solutions based on licensed assisted access technology. A combination of LTE and Wi-Fi integration was favored by 41% of those surveyed, while 4% expressed interest in deploying MultiFire technology “where they do not have access to licensed spectrum or as an alternative technology for small cell partnerships.”
Backhaul plans were more uniform, with the report noting every operator surveyed “identified fiber as an important backhaul and transport technology for 5G.” Wireless backhaul using millimeter wave spectrum was the second-most cited option with 61% of operators describing the technology as important to their 5G backhaul plans.
The survey also noted 26% of carriers planned to trial 5G technology over the next two years, with a noted high interest from operators in China, Japan, Australia and the United States. Of those, more than two-thirds were said to favor radio trials ahead of core network technologies, though for those looking to trial core elements the focus was noted to be on deploying network functions virtualization and software-defined networking functionality.
Maybe somewhat surprising was that less than half of those surveyed expected to have made 5G investments as their capital expenditure budgets by the end of 2020. That would seem to indicate that smaller operators are not looking to be as aggressive as their larger competitors in terms of getting next-generation networks to market as soon as feasible.
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