As 5G networks roll out, there is a lot to consider. There are three different bands with different speeds, and they will not all have the same amount of coverage everywhere. There are also cost, timeline, and geographic considerations.

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Recorded Webinar

5 Factors to Guide Your Preparation for 5G

Oct 08, 2020 | Length: 44:08

As 5G networks roll out, there is a lot to consider. There are three different bands with different speeds, and they will not all have the same amount of coverage everywhere. There are also cost, timeline, and geographic considerations.

Delivered by Harald Remmert, a Digi thought leader, this webinar recording sheds light on these factors, including the different 5G bands, migration considerations, and the choices and decisions you can make now as you prepare for the future of 5G.

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Follow-up Webinar Q&A

Thank you again for attending our session on 5 Factors to Guide Your Preparation for 5G. Here are the questions that followed the presentation and their answers. If you have additional questions, be sure to reach out.

When we consider the spectrum standing in the US, do you feel the n77 auctions are paramount to 5G success in the US?

Yes, 5G NR band n77 (3700 MHz) is part of the new mid-band spectrum, which provides capacity and is important for carriers to deliver on the 5G promise.

What is true about the danger of radiation of 5G? Is 5G mmWave more dangerous for humans?

5G Sub-6 operates in the same spectrum as 4G LTE networks and within the same established power limits, so the exposure is the same. 5G mmWave operates at much higher frequencies at lower power limits than 5G Sub-6. Due to the higher frequency, the range of a 5G mmWave network is much shorter compared to 5G Sub-6. However, mobile network operators may install more small cells in dense urban environments, and some of these devices may be uncomfortably close to a home or an apartment.

What points will be considered to define one policy for 5G?

One policy is unlikely. The factors will include trust and security concerns between international governments, and in today's political climate it is very difficult to conjecture how these issues might resolve. For this reason, it's imperative to have strong device-level security and network security, and for those deploying 5G to work with trusted manufacturers.

Is the IX20 5G-ready, and if so, will there be a 5G module available for it at some point?

We would like to learn more about your application and can share more information under NDA. Please reach out to our Sales and Product Management team at www.digi.com/contactus.

Is the voice service also included in 5G world? For an example, we have VoLTE for LTE.

Yes, 5G has the equivalent of VoLTE in 4G networks, called Voice over New Radio (VoNR). It requires the ecosystem to move to 5G Stand-alone (SA) and is not deployed yet.

Will Digi have 5G mmWave routers/modems in the future?

We would like to learn more about your application and can share more information under NDA. Please reach out to our Sales and Product Management team at www.digi.com/contactus.

What about Distributed Antenna Systems with 5G mmWave bands inside an office building.

5G mmWave is operating at frequencies that not only penetrate walls or windows very well, but it also does not work with traditional RF-cabled distributed antenna system. In order to deploy 5G mmWave within an office building, building owners will have to equip the building with small cells on every floor and possibly every room.

What infrastructure products are needed other than routers (thinking of mobile equipment for carriers).

Aside from the router, carriers would need to upgrade their infrastructure to support 5G, including a new 5G Core, new 5G base stations and new antennas. Carriers may also increase their backhaul bandwidth through fiber and also through 5G, so that customers not only have a 5G signal, but also benefit from 5G speeds and low-latency end-to-end.

What additional security concerns or features are a part of 5G?

Every cellular generation also leveraged the latest improvements in security. The 5G network core has evolved and functions are more separated, with stronger encryption compared to the 4G EPC and authentication between different sub-systems. This makes communication over 5G networks more secure – for now. Here at Digi we always recommend applying security in layers and not rely solely on the security of the cellular network.

When will Digi have 5G products?

Here at Digi we have a variety of new 4G LTE and 5G products in development. Reach out to us at www.digi.com/contactus. and we can share more information under NDA.

When will we see single-digit Millisecond latency on 5G?

There are four parts to achieving single-digit Millisecond latency on 5G: First, carriers must evolve their networks to 5G Stand-alone mode, so that they can take advantage of the new 5G network core. Some carriers like T-Mobile have already deployed Standalone in parts of their network, while others are working on it and planning to start rolling it out later this year and into 2021.

Second, carriers may still have to configure and turn another feature called network slicing, which allows the network to be optimized for a specific use case, such as low-latency, high-speed, or to support a massive number of devices – or a hybrid with some trade-offs in either dimension.

Third, the cellular device must support single-digit Millisecond latency on 5G.

And fourth, in order for your application to benefit from single-digit Millisecond latency, you may need to move your application to the edge, and either do compute on the device, or in an edge datacenter using services like Amazon's AWS Wavelength, or both.

I hear about 5G-ready devices. Does it mean that I can load a new firmware to update the device from 4G to 5G?

This would be great, but the answer unfortunately is no. 5G-ready typically means that the device has a fast processor and the right interfaces such as Gigabit Ethernet to deliver 5G performance. 5G devices require a new radio to be able to connect to a 5G network, for example in the form of a Digi CORE modem that can be plugged into a 5G-ready device, or a 5G extender/remote modem, or a new 5G router/gateway.

Meet the 5G-Ready Digi WR64
Learn about Gigabit Ethernet speeds and the stepping stones to 5G

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