INTRODUCTION: According to a study by Ericsson, 15 percent of the world’s population will use the new 5G mobile standard by 2020, and the number of 5G subscriptions will break the 500 million mark in 2022. Forecasts also suggest that more than 1 million new mobile broadband subscribers will be added every day within the next six years– thus adding 2.6 billion subscribers by the end of 2022.
Those figures hint at 5G’s incredible market potential, especially considering that the study does not include the Internet of Things (IoT) or connected cars. Yet they are a key target group for 5G devices – after all, the new standard pursues the goal of integrating “machines” optimally in mobile communications for the first time. 5G is therefore not just an issue for the telecommunications sector, but for other branches of industry as well. The automotive industry, for example, sees it as a means of achieving future visions – such as the connected car for self-driving – in the best possible way. That’s a task that will require overcoming a number of obstacles ranging from the standardization of 5G guidelines to the implementation of security features in the connected car, to challenges like antenna alignment. This white paper addresses these 5G implementation questions, deals with challenges in relation to the development of powerful 5G antennas, and discusses the introduction of security standards in the connected car. Finally, it illustrates the possibilities that 5G offers the connected car and the economy.
Figure note: IoT connections and fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscriptions are not included in the above graph
Figure 2 – Mobile subscriptions by technologies (in billions)
SOURCE: https://www.ericsson.com/en/mobility-report
Experts currently see huge potential for 5G in three application areas:
The first application area regards the consumer sector (enhanced mobile broadband – eMBB), in which greater traffic and lower network power consumption are expected to enable a large number of devices to be used simultaneously without network losses. That will mainly enhance user convenience and quality of experience (QoE). For instance, when there are large crowds like at concerts or sporting events where many private devices are used concurrently, network capacity must be adequate for these concentrated numbers.
A second application area is massive machine type communication (mMTC), an issue that is becoming relevant especially in relation to networking of all types of device as part of the IoT. The objective will be to enable communication of up to one million connected devices per square kilometer.
However, it is especially the third potential application that has aroused the automotive industry’s interesting 5G: ultra reliable low latency (URLL), which ensures reliable connections and short transmission times. This is vital to progressing self-driving vehicle technology.
Since 5G optimizes the integration of machines and cars in mobile communications, several stakeholders are involved in defining the 5G standards. Whereas the big players in the communications industry defined the existing standards, such as UMTS and LTE, new players are getting into the act with 5G. For this purpose, the automotive industry has established the 5GAA, a body for defining requirements for 5G standardization. A common definition is important so that efficient communication between devices from different manufacturers is possible — for instance in road traffic.
SOURCE: “Cybersecurity for Automobiles: BlackBerry’s 7-Pillar Recommendation” by Sandeep Chennakeshu
Challenges relating to omni-directional antennas and signal strength
Even though the automotive industry is very optimistic about the future of 5G, there are still many details that have to be addressed to implement the technology. One challenge is integrating mobile communications in respect to antenna technology, with the ultimate goal of creating a “smart antenna.” Currently, signals are transmitted via cable connections from an antenna on a vehicle’s roof to the onboard electronics, which are often located in the driver’s cockpit. With the need for more bandwidth, 5G will explore a wider operating frequency range from 6 GHz up to 100 GHz, where sending signals from the antenna to the electronics via cable would result in large losses. That means the electronics, and thus signal processing, must be positioned close to the antenna – i.e. directly under the roof or in the antenna. One problem with that is the fluctuating weather conditions the electronics are then exposed to. High temperatures and fluctuations under the roof and in the antenna itself take a heavy toll on the electronics performance and operating life cycle. Only a few manufacturers are able to combine the electronics and antenna under such conditions.
Moreover, the expansion of the frequency range from a current 6 GHz up to 100 GHz increases radio field attenuation, which means that signals can only be received at a lower distance. That results in problems with omni-directional antennas, which cannot then receive signals or can only do so to a limited extent. Although the distance can be increased through pinpointed alignment of the antennas, devices then have to be fitted with a large number of antennas. As the result, only the antennas in the direction of the transmitter can be used. Roadside units must also be equipped with directional antennas in order to transmit the signal to devices in passing cars. Some antenna manufacturers and car makers are already working together to solve this problem
The future of 5G in the connected car
5G will soon replace the current mobile standard LTE. Experts assume that there will be 250 million networked cars and trucks on the road worldwide by 2020 and that all new vehicles will be connected with the IoT in 2025. The future vision of the connected car appears within reach. Until that can become reality, car makers are attaching great importance to installing all safety- and security-related sensors in the car itself so that it can act autonomously without any networking and does not have to rely on wireless connections. Functions that operate using wireless connections will be used to enhance convenience for drivers. For example, through wireless networking the car is informed of a traffic jam caused by an accident ahead, and can independently select an alternative route to avoid unnecessary waits. Even though all the cars on our roads will not become “smart” at one stroke from 2022 on, our experience to date with the introduction of new mobile standards means we can expect the dawn of a new age in which mobile communications act more and more as an enabler for future visions as part of the IoT.
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