UK's telecoms regulator, Ofcom has issued a consultation on 5G mobile technology to help lay the foundation for the UK’s next generation of wireless communications. Ofcom intends to have industry inputs to have a better understanding on the advantages and disadvantages of different bands above 6 GHz, taking into account other existing and potential users of that spectrum.
The 5G mobile communications which is expected to be commerially available by 2020, will be able to use a very high frequency spectrum above 6 GHz that could support a variety of uses, ranging from financial trading and entertainment to gaming and holographic projections, with the potential to support very high demand users in busy areas, like city centres.
5G mobile is expected to be capable of delivering extremely fast data speeds - perhaps 10 to 50 Gbit/s - compared with today’s average 4G download speed of 15 Mbit/s. By using spectrum above 6 GHz, 5G services could offer higher efficiency and significantly faster mobile data services through wider bandwidth channels, allowing a higher volume of data to reach wireless devices. According to Ofcom, 5G services are likely to use large blocks of spectrum to achieve the fastest speeds, which are difficult to find at lower frequencies. Therefore, higher frequency bands, above 6 GHz, for example, will be important. Ofcom has already started considering a number of bands below 6 GHz that might be suitable for future mobile systems, including 5G, as part of the Mobile Data Strategy. Ofcom said that 5G is likely to make use of existing mobile bands, aggregated with new bands.
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- The University of Surrey’s 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) has stated a 5G vision of ‘always having sufficient rate to give the user the impression of infinite capacity’ and preliminary figures being discussed within the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), suggest peak data rates in the range from 10 - 50 Gbit/s and latency of 1 millisecond.
Philip Marnick, Ofcom Spectrum Group Director
We want to explore how high frequency spectrum could potentially offer significant capacity for extremely fast 5G mobile data. This could pave the way for innovative new mobile services for UK consumers and businesses. Ofcom is seeking views on the use of spectrum above 6 GHz that might be suitable for future mobile communication services.
Steve Unger, Ofcom Acting Chief Executive
We want the UK to be a leader in the next generation of wireless communications. Working with industry, we want to lay the foundations for the UK’s next generation of wireless communications. 5G must deliver a further step change in the capacity of wireless networks, over and above that currently being delivered by 4G. No network has infinite capacity, but we need to move closer to the ideal of there always being sufficient capacity to meet consumers’ needs.
