30 I ICT TODAY
8 KEY CONSIDERATIONS
FOR NEXT-GEN
WIRELESS NETWORKS
By Mark Niehus, RCDD and Scott Rahim
5G is just around the corner. 5G will be huge. 5G will
be an explosion of ‘X’, of ‘Y’, of ‘Z’…and ad nauseum.
Consumers of mobile devices are hit with an
onslaught of advertising and media promoting what
the wireless industry claims will be “stupendous.”
FIGURE 1: Capability comparisons between 3G, 4G, and 5G;
5G also promises less than 1 millisecond of latency.
What is the reality behind the hype?
What do BICSI professional installers,
designers, RCDDs and project
managers need to be aware of about
the next cycle of wireless technology?
Essentially, there are eight key
considerations for next-generation
wireless networks. These eight have
significant impacts on the design
and installation of infrastructure
and systems in tomorrow’s buildings.
Furthermore, the eight major
considerations may also provide
tremendous opportunities for
installers and designers who seek to
advance their knowledge and offer
new services to enterprise customers.
BRINGS MORE SPEED
(10 times faster)
CONNECTS MORE DEVICES
(100 times more)
ALLOWS FOR A MORE
RESPONSIVE NETWORK
(5 times reduced end-to-end
network latency)
3G 384 Kbps (2000)
4G 100 Mbps (2010)
5G >1 Gbps (2020+)