In the spans of the International Mobile Fair in Barcelona, we assure you that you have not yet seen anything of the potential of 5G. And in the profusion of jargon to remember this year, is millimeter 5G. It takes its name from the band of frequencies used to operate, between 24 and 28 GHz, called millimeter waves. By convention, it is referred to in France as the 26 GHz band. Its particularity is to allow the transport of much larger volumes of data. But, while this spectrum has already started to be used in the United States and Japanits marketing remains embryonic in Europe.
Some of the players in the ecosystem, at the forefront of which are telecom and electronic equipment manufacturers, are pushing for wider adoption. “This is a particularly structuring subject for our industry, a real technological evolution”argues Jean Vivaldi, senior director business development France at Qualcomm. “Managing this spectrum in a smartphone is a technological feat. Since we have invested in R&D, we want to push it”explains his colleague Philippe Poggianti, VP business development 5G.
Peter Jarich, director of GSMA Intelligence, the international association’s research firm representing the interests of the mobile industry, is full of praise for the technology. “We expect the pace of adoption to accelerate. Millimeter 5G ties in with everything discussed at MWC: private 5G, metaverse… You can’t have all of this without millimeter 5G”.
Arcep in no hurry to allocate frequencies
The body of European telecom regulators, Berec, is also determined to evangelize on millimeter 5G. “Millimetric 5G will be one of the means to reach our goal of 1 Gb/s access for all in Europe by 2030”said Konstantinos Masselos, its president, at MWC 2023. “Millimetre 5G will also play a vital role in advancing to 6G, which will rely on frequencies above 100 GHz. 5G doesn’t just need to be faster. It needs to be smarter, more safer, more efficient, more resilient, and reduce energy consumption”he continued to illustrate the benefits of this technology.
However, the French regulator, Arcep, is in no hurry to allocate these new frequencies. For the moment, he is content with “encourage experimentation” by issuing specific authorizations in the 26 GHz band. 14 projects have been launched since 201, for example at Rennes station (SNCF, Nokia, Orange), at La Défense, and at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille.
An interest in fixed 5G
“Later, Arcep will prepare the allocation of the 26 GHz frequency band. Some services with very high bandwidth requirements are envisaged, such as augmented multimedia services with multiple shots during sporting or cultural events. or the management of industrial tools in factories”details Arcep, which published the responses to its public consultation on the 26 GHz band at the end of 2022, “highlighting the interest of certain players in continuing to experiment with use cases”. Enthusiasm is moderate…
This was confirmed to us by Orange, which recognizes “don’t be in a hurry”. In its response to the Arcep consultation, the operator indicates “that at this stage, the technical problems, the difficulty of identifying use cases with an associated relevant business model, the immature ecosystem of terminals constitute major obstacles to the deployment of this band in the short and middle term”.
No date has been set for the allocation of these frequencies, which have been the subject of auctions in other European countries. 14 countries in Europe have made spectrum available. I’Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Norway and Austria are notably ahead on the subject. For now, the first use case in Europe concerns fixed 5G.
The key to unlocking all the promises of 5G?
The other well-identified use cases for millimetric 5G are places where strong needs are concentrated at the same time: stadiums, stations, metro, airports, major shopping streets; as well as professional uses (offices and industry 4.0). Millimetric 5G makes it possible to supplement the main band to achieve higher capacities and keep up with the growth in usage.
“According to Ericsson, by 2028, each smartphone will consume 46 GB of data, 80% of which will be video. The midband will saturate”explained Philippe Poggianti of Qualcomm. “Millimetric 5G will make it possible to deliver all the promises of 5G: speeds, fixed 5G, massive IoT…”.
You should know that millimeter waves are also available in very large quantities. The capacities allocated to operators will be 5 to 10 times greater than those of the 3.5 GHz band, with bandwidths of 200 to 800 MHz per operator, compared to 70 to 90 MHz in the main band.
10% of compatible 5G terminals
But millimeter waves also have their drawbacks. The higher you go in the frequency bands, the lower the range of the antennas and the indoor penetration. This will therefore require significant investment efforts, in terms of new cells and adaptation of the existing grid since this network requires specific hardware. In addition, telecom operators are already struggling to monetize their 5G network in the 3.5 GHz band.
This probably explains why only 20% of operators who have access to the millimeter spectrum, in the world, have launched a commercial service on this frequency band, according to figures from the GSMA. The organization also points out that only 10% of current 5G terminals are compatible with this technology. To operate in this frequency range, they must have a specific RF modem and antenna. According to Qualcomm, 170 terminals from 65 manufacturers are compatible today on the market, mainly high-end.
More frequencies to earn more
Currently, the three major American operators (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T) use multiband. AT&T, for example, has deployed its equipment in regarding fifty cities in the United States. It remains to make them profitable, and the barouf around millimeter 5G at the MWC looks very much like an incantation.
“We are all in this room to make more money. And we know that technological generation changes bring more value. 5G standalone, 5G advanced, 5G millimeter are essential tools of this revolution, all of this accessible through the Open Gateway” presented this week by the operators, we heard from the mouth of Henry Calvert, head of network at the GSMA.
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