5G Radio Access Network has two major challenges:
- best usage of the assigned spectrum (including millimeter bands)
- support of new use cases (MMTC & URLLC — see below)
This led to the definition of a new wireless access called NR (New Radio).
To satisfy Enhanced mobile broadband requirements there are concepts like:
- wideband carries (up to 100 MHz in mid-frequencies and 400MHz in millimeter bands)
- carrier aggregation (using more than one carrier)
- Massive MIMO (using more than one transceiver both in BT and device)
When supporting Ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) following features are used:
- Flexible numerology — various symbol duration for different subcarriers options
- Preemptive scheduling — slot takeover for high-priority data
Massive machine type communication (MMTC) require quite a different characteristic of the network including:
low power communication to enable device working for over 10 years on battery
high density of devices in a network (up to 1 mln/1km2)
extensive coverage to enable propagation in places like basements or factories.
More about MMTC and other types of communication features later.
Please share your views about 5G Radio Access Network in the comments!