In 5G NR Release 15, Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC) were the foundational goals. At the 3GPP TSG#96 meeting, 3GPP announced 5G Release 17 finalized, which includes the 5G reduced capability (RedCap) specification for medium- and high-speed connections. What is RedCap? 3GPP introduced, in Release 17,  […]

5G standards define the use of wide radio channels. Whereas 4G LTE is limited to a maximum radio channel size of 20 MHz, 5G standards specify the use of radio channels up to 100 MHz in frequency bands below 7 GHz and up to 400 MHz in mmWave radio channels at 24 GHz and higher. […]

Here is the comparison between 5G and 4G Physical Channels/Signals 5G Vs. 4G Downlink (DL) Channels/Signals 5G Vs. 4G Uplink (UL) Channels/Signals

Open RAN: Industry Term for Open Radio Access Network Architecture with open interoperable interfaces, Virtualization, and AI/ML-enabled RAN. OpenRAN: Initiatives are driven by TIP’s OpenRAN Project group. O-RAN: It refers to O-RAN Alliance Community. vRAN: Virtualized radio access networks (vRANs) are a way for operators to run their baseband functions as Software. Cloud RAN: It […]

Both Open RAN and vRAN offer a significant benefit by separating RAN hardware from software. Consequently, software for the virtualized Centralized Units and Distributed Units (vCU/DUs) can run on any Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware. This support for commodity hardware enables operators to reduce capital costs by taking advantage of the economies of scale afforded by COTS […]

vRAN transforms the RAN from hardware-specific to software-based run on general-purpose servers. It is the evolution from vendor-specific, purpose-built baseband technologies to general-purpose platforms run by software. In legacy RAN systems, each cell site had a Baseband Unit (BBU), which sent data to and from the site’s Radio Units (RUs) and the core network. The […]

🔐 4G Identity Security Vs. 5G Identity Security 🔐 “One of the issues with using IMSI in 2G/3G/4G is there were a few occasions where the IMSI was sent over the clear – meaning the IMSIs of subscribers nearby could be revealed to anyone listening” In 5G privacy, even before authentication and key agreement, by […]

OREC (5G Open RAN Ecosystem) is a project launched in February 2021 by DOCOMO and 12 global vendors in order to promote the dissemination of open RANs. In October 2021, a vendor newly participated, and now there are 13 vendors involved in the project (as of February 2022). NTT DOCOMO has already estimated that the performance […]

Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) CPRI is an open specification for an interface between Radio Equipment Controllers (REC) often referred to as BBU, and Radio Equipment (RE), often referred to as RRH. The use of a CPRI interface run over a single-mode or multi-mode fiber enables the radio equipment to be mounted at the top […]

Demand for mobile bandwidth continues to grow as customers access new services and applications. To remain competitive, telecommunications companies must cost-effectively expand their network while also improving user experience. Global mobile data traffic is expected to increase 407% between 2018 and 2022. Radio access networks (RANs) are an expensive element in mobile networks. They often […]

4G was a great leap forward, allowing people to stream music and video on the go. 5G is designed to connect many more types of devices than smartphones – anything really. While 4G provided a one-size-fits-all kind of connectivity, where every device got the same service, 5G is different. 4G networks were mostly designed for […]