Navin Vohra, VP of wireless sales, Asia-Pacific, CommScope, explains next-gen 5G standards and the need for essential spectrum in creating a 5G platform
5G Evolution: What does CommScope expect to be the key factors driving future 5G adoption in Asia Pacific?
Navin Vohra: Dealing with user demand for wireless data has been the key driver to mobile operators’ 4G strategies over the last few years. Operators have worked not only to provide data-hungry subscribers with the bandwidth they need, but also to guard the profit margins demanded by their shareholders. 5G is increasingly being talked about in much the same way that 4G was in the second part of the 2000s. As such, the race is already on to define this next generation standard and determine how it can be utilized by mobile operators.
How does an operator’s current strategy for 4G affect their 5G ambitions?
One of the greatest barriers to the rollout and adoption of 4G services in countries around the world was the ability of governments to free up the 1800MHz and 800MHz bands that were needed to transport 4G into the hands of consumers. When it comes to 5G, this barrier cannot exist if the concept of a fully functioning 5G network is to become reality by the end of the decade. Governments must make it a priority, today, to put plans in place to ensure the correct airwaves are freed up by broadcasters and the military. While the planning and implementation of a system of millions of small cells will act as the core foundation of 5G, it will be rendered useless if the spectrum that it must travel over is not available.
How will new MIMO technologies affect antenna design and deployment for 5G?
MIMO is already being utilized in 4G networks as 2x2 channels or the more advanced 4x4 channels. MIMO-enabled antenna systems for 5G will have similar requirements as in 4G. One of the biggest concerns in such systems is the negative impact of interference, especially passive intermodulation (PIM), on performance. Preventing PIM will continue to be a critical requirement that requires a multi-prong effort including new innovations for limiting the most common sources of PIM. One of CommScope’s solutions for macro sites is the factory-assembled Andrew SiteRise tower top. SiteRise controls PIM by putting the antenna, remote radio head and cabling onto one pre-assembled, pre-tested assembly that is hoisted up the tower, limiting sources of PIM in the field.
Faster data transmission/more antennas in handsets mean higher power consumption, while higher frequencies mean greater transistor power consumption. How will operators deal with these 5G-related power consumption issues?
Power consumption has always been a focus for the mobile industry. Given the speed and amount of data 5G is expected to carry, finding a way to construct an ecosystem that is energy efficient and environmentally friendly will be a major challenge. The millions of cell sites at the heart of a 5G network, regardless of whether they are within urban areas or in remote rural areas, will need to be powered. In countries like India, there has been a big focus on implementing renewable energy sources in the mobile network. Mobile sites that have traditionally been reliant on electricity or diesel are being replaced by energy sources such as solar and wind. There’s no reason why similar energy sources cannot be built into the 5G master plan.
This article first appeared on Telecom Asia 5G Evolutionsupplement November 2014 issue