The Arrival of 5G & the Demand for Premium Video

Photo credit: Computerworld

"As most mobile phone users already use 3G and 4G networks, it is expected that 5G is likely to deliver a new user experience in 2020" [1]

Speaking recently at the New York Wells Fargo Telecom Forum, Randall Stephenson, the CEO and chairman of AT&T, stated that: “Premium entertainment and premium content – both live as well as on demand – is going to grow” [1]. Then, looking ahead to the transition to into the 5G space, Stephenson continued: “it’s going to change the customer experience like nothing we’ve seen. We think 4G was radical... [it] enabled us to begin watching video on mobile devices, and it’s what has begun to push video consumption into the world of mobility” [1].

Mobile TV platforms such as OONA - the free AVOD U-Chose U-Share U-Get Rewarded Entertainment & Messaging Platform for viewers, telcoms, network and content holders, understands this 4G transition into a flexible mobile way of life, and the demand for premium content, extremely well. The platform, which is a step above OTT and television, is the brainchild of leading digital strategist, Christophe Hochart. It offers everyone who downloads the app, the choice of premium content and entertainment, as well as the free phenomenal live and on demand video offerings including: live sports, motoring, great films and series, educational broadcasts, documentaries, FashionTV, celebrity news, cookery specials, breaking news and more, over up to 300 national and international channels.

OONA came into fruition with 4G, and is looking forward the super high tech advantages of 5G, which will will make users' entertainment experiences second to none. OONA Free Mobile Television in partnership with Telkom Indonesia, is set to serve 185 million consumers in Indonesia, and is on course to expand to other parts of Asia, South America, Africa, the Middle East, the US and Europe.

OONA - The Entertainment Platform With a Difference

The OONA user experience is totally different to other platforms because:

• It is a world 1st ad supported instant entertainment site that has what viewers want to watch all ready for them. - This along with other analytics, is courtesy of Siskabot – the cool patented AI Genie in the App who has regular conversations with viewers to find out exactly what type of entertainment content and interesting ads they love to watch.

• It is interactive and offers various fun editing tools and stickers so users can embellish their entertainment screenshots, and share them on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media sites.

• It gives out virtual currency rewards in the form of t-coins, for watching the content and ads they enjoy, sharing content with family and friends, and interacting with Siskabot. The tcoins can be redeemed for a broad range of branded goods and services, meals, fun days out, free telephone minutes and telcom products.

So What is This New 5G Dimension?

“5G Vision: 100 Billion connections, 1 ms Latency, and 10 Gbps Throughput” [2]

5G refers to the 5th generation of this future wireless mobile standard. “According to the Next Generation Mobile Network's 5G white paper, 5G connections must be based on 'user experience, system performance, enhanced services, business models and management & operations” [3].

Mobile networks are evolving at the speed of light, and “network access at anytime and anywhere is transforming the telecom industry. 5G technology will enable flexible, reliable, and secure wireless networks... leading the human race into the era of "Everything on Mobile" [2]. This era will comprise three concepts: latency, the number of connections, and throughput [2].

Latency

A 4G network's latency is just 50% of that of 3G [2].

Throughput

Growing consumer needs will be better served with a higher throughput. 4G networks' throughput ranks in at 10 times stronger than its 3G counterpart. - However, when 4K video services skyrocket, 4G networks are not able to comply with the new throughput demands. To that end, in order to keep up with the high demand, it is essential that 5G tech offers various new performance advantages [2]. These comprise:

• 100 billion connections
• 1 ms latency, and
• 10 Gbps throughput [2].

How Will 5G Impact Future Wireless Systems?

Firstly, let us compare 5G to 3G and 4G. 3G and 4G work via a signal from the closest telephone tower. Conversely, 4G offers lesser latency (the time-span between cause and effect). Moreover, it also generates a very welcome and far quicker internet connection. Supposedly, 4G should work at least of 5 times quicker than 3G; furthermore, in theory, 5G should be able to offer download speeds of as much as 100Mb per second [3]. Now that is something that could be of tremendous benefit to both businesses and individuals.

“The first 5G networks should begin launching from mid-2019” [4]

Cradlepoint's VP for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Hubert Da Costa, stated that: "5G Wi-Fi connections are set to be about three times faster than 4G, starting with 450Mbps in single-stream, 900 Mbps (dual- stream) and 1.3G bps (three-stream)"[3]. Its revved up speed is set to offer greater productivity for all suitable devices, which in theory, would provide a 10,000 Mb per second download speed. - A high tech feat that, according to Juniper Networks' senior EMEA marketing director, Paul Gainham, is likely to culminate in a ‘Gigabit Smartphone’ [3]. Further: “with greater bandwidth comes faster download speeds and the ability to run more complex mobile internet apps” [3].

Connections

While thousands of connections for each cell are provided by 4G networks, the latter is unable to fulfill the connection requirements that are essential for Everything on Mobile. Conversely, for every square kilometer, 5G networks offer up to a million connections. - So it is clear that this cutting-edge technology will deliver an exciting exponential increase in how many connections are available [2].

So What Are the Downsides of 5G?

Number 1: 5G will be more expensive to put out, and even though the most recent smart phones are likely to have 5G incorporated into them, older models will probably be redundant [3].

Number 2: A reliable wireless internet connection may be dependent on the number of devices connected to one channel. Therefore, due to 5G coming on board, crowding out the frequency range is likely to be a real possibility [3].

Number 3. In some countries, there are still issues with 3G and 4G, so to that end, not all consumers can rely on being able to receive a super fast connection right away [3].

Changes in Capacity

Networks also need to have the capacity to deal with high bandwidth applications including: “video, augmented and virtual reality applications; as well as bandwidth-heavy tasks and services that haven’t been invented yet [4].

How is the 5G Development Phase Going?

While 5G is still in development, and not up and running as yet, it is expected that: “the first "mobile broadband" 5G networks should begin launching from mid-2019” [4]. Networks using 5G are already being trialed in various countries across the globe, and more and more companies are launching 5G partnerships [3] - Apple and Intel, are a prime example [4]. Further, a number of companies are pledging funds to carry on researching 5G and its application [3].

Apple – A Main Contender in the Race for 5G

While it is common knowledge that Apple is trialing 5G, there is nonetheless, a question mark over where this state-of-the-art company will acquire the 5G modems that are essential for its connected devices. Apple: “holds several 5G patents. It joined the NGMN Alliance as a partner to help develop 5G in 2014, and since then, has introduced its own SIM technology in the form of the Apple SIM you’ll find inside an LTE-capable iPad Pro” [4]. Yet even Apple, which is regarded as: “one of the world’s strongest and most innovative teams of silicon and technology engineers” [4], could well miss the first anticipated 5G roll out date...

“Leading research firm, Moor Insights & Strategy, anticipates that by 2025, 5G infrastructure spending will surpass a whopping $326 billion” [5]

In the first instance, this spending will be specifically for certain major areas, namely: modems and protocols (AKA 5G IP); the 5G network; network transformation; data centres and edge computing [5]. And although it has to be said that all of these fields are likely to have more players striving for a piece of the action - the immediate 5G beneficiaries will probably be: Ericsson, Dell, and of course, Qualcomm [5].

In summary, in this truly exciting "Everything on Mobile era, which will include everything from convenient driverless cars, to fab entertainment from Free Mobile TV companies such as OONA, still has some clear and present 5G hurdles. - But the odds are that just as with all determined sportsmen, the early winners will be companies such as Qualcomm, which will revel in their success after spending years at the drawing board perfecting their technological expertise for the benefit of all of us.

References

[1]. Berman, Jeff (2018). “AT&T CEO: Demand for Premium Video, Broadband to Increase with 5G’s Arrival.” Media & Entertainment Services Alliance.https://www.mesalliance.org/2018/06/21/att-ceo-demand-for-premium-video-broadband-to-increase-with-5gs-arrival/ Accessed 25 Jun. 2018.

[2]. Huawei (n.d.). “5G Vision: 100 Billion connections, 1 ms Latency, and 10 Gbps Throughput.” http://www.huawei.com/minisite/5g/en/defining-5g.html Accessed 25 Jun. 2018.

[3]. Mercer, Christina & Williams, Hannah (2018). “What is 5G? Everything you need to know about 5G.” Techworld. https://www.techworld.com/apps-wearables/what-is-5g-everything-you-need-know-about-5g-3634921/ Accessed 25 Jun. 2018.

[4]. Evans, Jonny (2018). “MWC18: Where will Apple get 5G iPhone chips?” https://www.computerworld.com/article/3258821/apple-ios/mwc18-where-will-apple-get-5g-iphone-chips.html Accessed 25 Jun. 2018.

[5]. Newman, Daniel (2018). “Opinion: These 4 companies will be the big early winners from the $326 billion push to 5G.” Marketwatch.https://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-4-companies-will-be-the-big-early-winners-from-the-326-billion-push-to-5g-2018-03-07 Accessed 25 Jun. 2018.