5G Demystified: Broadband Is Infrastructure?

We delve into the transformative power of cellular networks and their hidden cost on our connected world. While these networks have revolutionized access to information and bridged distances with instant communication, they come with a significant environmental footprint, consuming about 4% of our electric grid capacity. As we evolve from 4G to 5G, we strive to expand coverage. Listen to find out how this demand on our grid is set to rise and how we might address it

We use Wi-Fi at home because it offers speeds better than our LTE phones get. But if 5G will provide speeds 10 times better than LTE, will that mean we no longer need Wi-Fi at home? Will public Wi-Fi become as antiquated as internet cafes? IEEE's panel of experts will discuss and maybe debate the battle for last mile connectivity between 5G and Wi-Fi, as well as recent advances on how these two technologies may co-mingle.

From a public perception standpoint, 5G technology can't catch a break. Various internet theories have tied it to cancer, then the COVID-19 virus, and then the US Federal Aviation Administration claimed it could endanger airplanes while landing in low visibility. In a world of propaganda and misinformation, how are the public and policymakers supposed to make sense of any individual claim? In this IEEE podcast, experts discuss the science and standards of human health effects from electromagnetic radio waves in 5G communications.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a major flaw in global infrastructure when it turned out that millions (if not billions) of people were unable to work or attend school from home due to lack of reliable connections to the internet. With the digital divide a concern even in "first world" countries, internet access has taken its place alongside roads, bridges and utilities as a new kind of infrastructure in the purview of governments. In this IEEE panel discussion, experts will discuss the impact that this shift in thinking is having on local governments, property values, our visual environment, and on the rural communities that struggle to obtain broadband access.

From the public's perspective, 5G has been hyped at a fever pitch for several years now, but the impact on everyday life has been limited. TV commercials drop terms like "ultra-wideband" or "extended range" and our phones sometimes show 5G where LTE used to be -- but has anyone noticed an impact? In this IEEE panel discussion, experts will discuss the challenges created by how the wireless carriers have decided to promote 5G, and what the REAL value of 5G technology is likely to be. (Hint: It’s not just for consumers or phones.)

Following on from the podcast on The Edge Ecosystem From Now Through 2030, posted in March 2021, four edge subject matter experts now discuss Edge Automation Platform and Edge Service Platform frameworks. Edge Service includes the necessary Platform and Applications that are distributed and delivered to consumers and enterprises. So, this podcast includes envisioning use cases fertilized by current and coming network generations. And, the impact of a heterogeneous infrastructure on edge platforms and services is discussed as well as a unified programming model to simplify development across diverse architectures. Challenges at the edge are anticipated, such as networking topologies, scalability, standardization, and security at the edge, especially at the virtual level. These are the building blocks for the era of domain specific services and futuristic edge native solutions.

Four subject matter experts on edge computing gathered to discuss the coming decade of expected developments for the edge ecosystem as enabled by current and future network generations. Contemporary and emerging use cases and evolving technologies are discussed as well as critical differentiators for Edge Platforms and Services. A key focal point today is the interface between hardware and software modules that will make the edge platform easy to build, operate, and consume through provisioning and lifecycle automation. Considerations of functional and non-functional requirements of the edge are examined, as well as other factors.

5G promises to usher in a new era of connectivity and productivity, but is it safe? Misconceptions about the health impacts of 5G abound, even some that imply the technology is associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Episode 4 of "The 5G Deployment Challenge" brings together a panel of industry and technology experts including David Witkowski of IEEE Future Networks, INGR, and William F. Hammett and Rajat Mathur of Hammett & Edison. Our panelists offer an in-depth exploration of 5G-related health concerns, and apply a scientific perspective to the question of electromagnetic safety of cell towers, wireless installations.

Despite 5Gs potential and favorable economics, deployment of the technology is proving challenging for a variety of reasons. In this episode, David Witkowski, Co-Chair, Deployment Working Group INGR, leads a discussion with David Young, CIO for the City of Lincoln in Lancaster County, Nebraska and Brendan Carr, Commissioner of the FCC. They share their insights on 5G deployment challenges and offer possible solutions in building out the next generation wireless infrastructure.

Trusty old MIMO is becoming Massive MIMO and is expected to continue into the future two decades of networking, but it will have to rise to many challenges. Massive MIMO must evolve to interwork with thousands of antenna elements while managing power in Internet of Things applications, evolving hardware, ever lower latency, emerging technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence, and intelligence at the edge, while security is an ever-present concern. What is entailed as it is determined whether technology can meet the envisioned future and what does the path ahead involve? Known technology gaps are in the areas of efficient receiver architecture, power efficiency, and CMOS. Three Massive MIMO subject matter experts discuss the challenges, and also the path to solutions in beamforming algorithms, resource management, computationally efficient channel estimation approaches, simultaneous multiple transmit/receive beams, and new deep learning techniques.