7 minute read
5G
2020was a pivotal year for the telecommunications sector, and 2021 has the potential to have an even greater impact on the ways in which we work, play and interact using technology. In particular, the past 12 months saw the rollout of 5G sweep across the world faster than any major technological advance in history. The speed of adoption, however, has caused issues of its own, creating glaring disparities in the market and making the technology’s teething problems more acute.
This year, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the ways in which we live and work, 5G has the potential to start showing signs of maturity, as the technology’s problems are solved, as well as continue pushing the envelope with regards to innovation.
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At the heart of 5G evolution for both the consumer and the enterprise is the system on a chip (SoC), an integrated circuit containing all the elements of a functional computer, from the CPU, GPU and memory to radio modems and secondary storage.
“The SoC market is always evolving and this past year has been a true testament to the innovation taking place within the 5G space,” says Robert Moffat, Deputy Director of Sales and Business Development at MediaTek Europe. Headquartered in Taiwan, MediaTek
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is one of the world’s leading makers of SoCs, and at the forefront of 5G hardware innovation. 2020, according to Moffat, saw incredible progress in the global 5G SoC market. “At the beginning of 2020, the 5G market was quite limited in terms of network availability and device choice – China was typically considered the ‘early adopter’ and more often than not, 5G capabilities were limited to flagship devices with a significant gap in pricing between 4G and 5G models,” he reflects. “As the year evolved, and despite the pandemic, we saw network operators continue to roll out 5G capabilities and expand their offering into most regions including Europe and North America.” MediaTek itself launched a new line of Dimensity 5G SoCs designed to meet demand for flagship and mass market devices, including the Dimensity 800U and Dimensity 700, which deliver 5G capabilities into more mid-range and budget devices. By the end of the year, the company had shipped 45mn Dimensity 5G chipsets. This year, Moffat says that MediaTek’s plan is to “truly make 5G accessible for all.”
4G vs 5G: two very different rollouts
The pace at which 5G has gone from isolated tests to commercial launches to increasingly widespread adoption has been phenomenal. The speed at which the technology has begun to reach mainstream adoption compared to previous generations is, according to Moffat, a matter of available applications. “When 4G arrived, content providers couldn’t widely benefit from OTT services for highly demanding capabilities like HD movie streaming – it risked being staggered and low-quality, despite the benefits of the 4G network itself,” he explains. “This limitation was overcome in time with better access to content and now, as 5G becomes more widely
ROBERT MOFFAT DEPUTY DIRECTOR, SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MEDIATEK EUROPE
Mr. Ian Watson, CEO of Cellcard Cambodia and Royal Group in ICT division is widely known in the telecommunications industry as a leading evangelist and thought leader for 5G and digitalization. Under Ian’s leadership, Cellcard has achieved more than 30 industry awards during the past three years including the dominant share of Ookla Speedtest and Open Signal awards. He is also a regular keynote speaker at major industry events such as Mobile World Congress, Telecom Asia, 5G Asia and TM Forum. On November 12, he was invited to give speech at the online 5G Core Industry Roundtable of the 11th Global MBB Forum 2020, hosted by GSMA and GTI. Mr. Ian mentioned that Cambodian Royal Group has a strong demands on 5G to bring ultimate and immersive experience for its customers from TV, Banking, Insurance, Hydroelectric, Railway, Security Solutions, Resort, and Mobile payment. With 5G B2B, sparks new round of intelligent connectivity revolution in all scenarios and sectors such as; wireless broadband, Campus, Manufacturing, Port, Transportation, and Public Safety. “5G, paired with AI, fast tracks digitalization, not only for us individuals, but also for industries,” he continues. “In addition, diversified business models are required to achieve the optimal return on investment so that both consumers and enterprises can enjoy the benefits of 5G.” Cellcard is on the road to 5G and have completed the first 5G SA trail in 2019. At the very beginning of 2020, amidst the COVID-19 epidemic, Cellcard supported Ministry of Health with 5G telemedicine technology for distance diagnosis. In 2021, Cellcard will launch 5G NSA network and will evolve to 5G SA Commercial Network in near Future.
Ian Watson, CEO of Cellcard Cambodia
ROBERT MOFFAT DEPUTY DIRECTOR, SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MEDIATEK EUROPE
deployed, users can benefit from a better streaming experience immediately.”
The 5G rollout, he continues, has also benefited from greater efforts to standardise and accelerate the process from a regulatory perspective, with the EU Commission orchestrating 5G launches in every member state by the end of last year, and plans in place to support uninterrupted coverage in urban areas and along major transport routes by 2025.
The EU Commission notes that 5G is an essential building block for the region’s digital economy going forward. Moffat adds that, in addition to faster speeds deliverable on handsets and the potential for 5G fixed wireless access to bring current-gen connectivity to remote areas, “As 5G matures with ultrareliable low latency communication (URLLC) features, it will support mission-critical applications such as industrial internet, smart grids, remote surgery and intelligent transportation systems.”
The future is built on silicon
At the heart of a successful 5G rollout are little squares of silicon. The kinds of innovation
THE GLOBAL 5G CHIPSET MARKET
52.7%
CAGR (2020-2027)
$23.5bn
Market Value (2027)
Leading Region APAC
Huawei, Qualcomm, MediaTek, Intel LEADING COMPANIES
ROBERT MOFFAT DEPUTY DIRECTOR, SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MEDIATEK EUROPE
that companies like MediaTek are working on have the potential to solve a great deal of the teething problems being experienced by 5G, allowing the technology to unleash its full potential.
“New 5G chips will help to alleviate bandwidth challenges, provide faster response times as well as increase data security for the user,” says Moffat. “If we take edge computing, for example, 5G chips, such as the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 chipset, feature the most powerful edge AI hardware in a smartphone. This means data can be held locally without the need to upload to the cloud – saving on bandwidth and reducing packet loss during the transmission of data.”
The next 12 months will see 5G begin to touch the lives of more people than ever before, supported wholly by cutting edge chipsets designed to harness ultra-low latency, high-throughput communication to deliver bold new advances in IoT, AI, video streaming, online gaming and just about every other aspect of a modern, digital world.
WHY 5G MATTERS:
SAP’S 5G COUNCIL EXPLORES THE OPPORTUNITY
Frank Wilde, VP of the SAP 5G Council, examines the incredible opportunity that 5G brings for network providers, their customers, and end users
WRITTEN BY: SCOTT BIRCH
PRODUCED BY:
GLEN WHITE
Sitting in his Palo Alto, California office at the height of the latest COVID-19 lockdown, Frank Wilde, VP of the Global Center of Excellence at SAP, could be less than enthusiastic about the state of the world as we enter 2021. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Wilde is here to discuss SAP’s 5G Council, the innovative role it is playing around the world in the deployment of the technology, and the opportunities that 5G brings – which have been only heightened as COVID-19 has acted as a catalyst for digital transformation.
“We launched the 5G Council with the intent to pull together a unified value chain,” says Wilde. “We feel the power of 5G, as well as edge computing is really taking much more of a consortium approach – realizing that no single organization provides the core capabilities. It’s really interlocking capabilities that brings 5G to life.”
The 5G Council includes leading technology partners from around the world, covering all aspects of 5G implementation
