COMPUTEX 2022 Symposium: Towards the Beyond 5G Era: Innovative Communications Services & Applications in the Industry

5G connectivity has been commercially available from 2019 and in certain areas, legacy connections such as 3G might be phased out so providers can allocate more resources for 5G. As more devices rely on their online connection to function, 5G will become the required connectivity as 5G offers high speed, low latency, and mass connectivity. These 3 characteristics are desirable regardless of the field of application and are expected to promote many new innovations as well as developments to the industry.

The world is preparing for a major communication overhaul with more 5G rollouts and the change for users and telecom providers might be far bigger than the 3G to 4G upgrade. Users will have to replace their devices with 5G capable ones and providers might even have to overhaul their entire supply chain, communication network, or even their own satellites.

Discussing this current trend, the COMPUTEX 2022 Symposium - Towards the Beyond 5G Era: Innovative Communications Services & Applications in the Industry focuses on 5G and Beyond 5G Communications, their potentials, as well as how they can be used and applied in the real world. The speakers for this forum represent think tanks, research institutes, telecom providers, and hardware manufacturers to provide a comprehensive overview of the ongoing trends, business opportunities, and industry applications.

Joining the symposium were: Mr. Wei-Gan Su, Industry Analyst of MIC; Mr. Chung-Yung Chia, Vice President of Chunghwa Telecom; Mr. Allen Yang, International Strategy Center Analyst of ITRI; and Mr. Steve Huang PhD, Senior VP of PEGATRON.

Many Paths to 5G

Mr. Su of MIC stated that the goal of 5G deployment is the 5G Standalone (SA) connection where 5G is the only supported communication. While the goal is clear, many providers approach the goal with different methods, including the one-stop upgrade and gradual upgrade through Non-Standalone (NSA) connections. The 5G architecture follows a continuation of 4G with Network Function Virtualization (NFV) that sees dedicated hardware functions performed by servers + software. This will incentivize telecom providers to also offer 5G private networks as they will no longer need to spend too much on network deployment and expansion. 5G at the moment has no definite killer application that might delay the broader adoption by the users. Foregoing the need for brand name hardware, 5G will be a great opportunity for Taiwan’s white label manufacturers to enter a broader market.

5G Commercial & Dedicated Private Networks

Dr. Chia said that 5G private enterprise networks will have low latency and they can have a low congestion, as well as local breakout and a secure network. There are 2 main options for 5G private networks: commercial frequency dedicated network which uses the operator band or the dedicated frequency dedicated network that users can build on their own. Both options have rather limited band range; 3.5 GHz or 28 GHz for commercial frequency dedicated network and 4.8 to 4.9 GHz for dedicated frequency dedicated network. Enterprises opting to deploy their own 5G private network can choose between the SA or NSA networks, but Dr. Chia suggested starting from NSA before upgrading to SA as network constructions must be made for the future. Commercial frequency dedicated networks will also allow enterprise users to benefit from the providers’ expertise.

LEO Satellites to Allow Global Communication Everywhere

Mr. Yang shared in his presentation that currently there are approximately 4 billion people globally who cannot access the internet; either due to infrastructure, resources, or geographical limitations. Many of the existing limitations can be circumvented by LEO satellites that can cover the entire world and provide more affordable connectivity. However, it is important to note that LEO satellites cannot be the only method of connection, but it can be a vital supplement for the global network. The wider reach and upgraded connectivity will boost existing products and technologies such as IoT and data centers. The future of connectivity, whether it’s the more mature 5G or 6G and beyond, will rely on various methods including fiber, Wi-Fi, satellites, and more.

5G Smart Poles as Paving Stones for Smart Cities

In his speech, Mr. Huang shared that 5G will be a vital aspect of smart city developments. Despite the 3 main characteristics (high speed, low latency, massive connectivity), 5G is still limited in terms of range/ reach which makes multiple transmitters placed in short distances away from each other necessary. Smart cities will need a great number of IoT devices to be installed in various locations to perform multiple functions, but the added devices might pollute the cityscape. The idea he proposed is called the 5G Smart Pole, a device that can house multiple IoT devices or functions that will also hold a 5G small cell to ensure users and devices around the city will have a smooth reception.

Watch the full forum video in the COMPUTEX V Youtube Channel.

About COMPUTEX 2022 Symposium

COMPUTEX is one of the key B2B exhibitions for global ICT procurement. To help manufacturers expand to the international market and overcome time zones and geographical distance constraints, TCA will hold the COMPUTEX Symposium in both online and offline formats. The topics in the forum will include multiple topics such as digital security, smart technology, 5G/B5G, Metaverse, etc., featuring industry leaders and relevant speakers to discuss the latest trends and innovations.

Connect with COMPUTEX 2022 All Year Round

COMPUTEX TAIPEI will return in 2022 from May 24 to 27. The exhibition will take a hybrid physical & digital format to make sure exhibitors can have a broader reach both in Taiwan and globally. To help companies connect with buyers, partners, and vendors; COMPUTEX CYBERWORLD 2022 holds a monthly matchmaking session on the third Thursday of every month. The matchmaking sessions are held privately and the registration period will be announced in the COMPUTEX Facebook page and newsletter.

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