Initial 5G Not Much Faster Than Enhanced LTE: Telus

Non-standalone 5G offers up to 1.7 Gbps of throughput, slightly better than the fastest LTE, said Samer Geissah, Telus director-technology strategy and architecture, during a Fierce Wireless webinar Wednesday. “We see a lot of usage on video, we see a lot of usage on downloads.” Since the Canadian provider has been enhancing its 4G network, faster speeds won’t immediately be the main selling point for 5G, but it will become faster when stand-alone networks are fully deployed, he said. Advances “will come in waves,” he said. Many uses being studied look at video analytics and how fifth-generation can be used to “more efficiently to do what we currently do otherwise,” Geissah said. Streetlight traffic control systems used to use sensors embedded in the ground, he said: “Now, with a connected camera, you literally have to just do some software adaptations.” The biggest fifth-gen challenge is the ecosystem's complexity, said Tony Montalvo, Analog Devices vice president-technology for automotive, communications and aerospace. “It used to be we had quite a small number of very large customers,” he said: With open radio access networks, the company has to work with many more companies. “There are more bands, wider bands, more complex band combinations … plus an explosion in the number of antennas,” he said. Crown Castle sees growing opportunities from private networks and use of citizens broadband radio service spectrum, said Vice President-Technology Strategy Mark Reudink.