5G 2019 - Developing 5G Indoor Networks
Three generations of mobile technology upgrades, some 5 to 10 phones of varying smartness and 20 years on, we seem now on the verge of 5G and with even a glimpse of 6G.
So, is this really it? And, have we really progressed?
From the consumer perspective, it is certain that developments in technologies are revolutionizing the way consumers interact and the way enterprises compete to serve the consumers. We are at the stage now where new promising use cases and business models are being introduced such that our futures could actually change drastically from hereon. I note here that it is not about faster speeds and wider bandwidths that come with 5G. It is about how faster speeds and wider bandwidths enable value add and benefit the consumers.
From the government perspective, it is certain that technology is of growing importance as it transforms industries and contributes to greater digital economic efficiency. Governments and industry regulators across of Asia Pacific are increasingly playing a bigger role in paving the way towards intelligent smart nations. For them, understanding and removing bottlenecks as well as seeking out smart solutions have become a key focus.
From the operator perspective, on the fixed side, we are now in the Giga “Everything” era with giga Speeds, giga Fiber, giga Copper, giga Coax, giga WiFi… but not giga revenue. The cost impact of this is immediately apparent, however, to stay competitive, fixed operators need to offer gigabit speeds and superior quality of experience to address convergence and substitution.
On the mobile side, average revenue growth across the region is struggling in the single digits with competition now more from the wider digital ecosystem than amongst mobile operators. To counter this, mobile operators are shifting focus from targeting B2C to targeting B2B and B2B2C. They are working on improving customer satisfaction and reducing cost.
As 80% of network traffic now originates from indoors, it is not hard to see that indoor use cases will become a key driver of 5G networks. In fact, at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona recently, 5G ready had been agreed as a pre-requisite for indoor coverage systems. Key messages from the congress were that accelerating applications through standardization was the agreed approach and 5G ready indoor systems will receive a push from tower companies as well as neutral hosts.
This optimism is great. Certainly, that is where we want to be. WOW.
But the reality for now, for the rest of us at least, is such that it is only in China where 80% of new indoor system deployments are already using Digital Indoor Systems. Apart from some momentum building in Singapore and the Philippines, investment in digital indoor systems is still at an early stage and still slow. However, the fact that indoor sites are no longer solely owned by mobile operators but increasingly owned by tower companies and neutral hosts is viewed as positive for the industry.
So, have we progressed then?
As industry analyst, my opinion would be "YES". I say this because for the first time in 20 years, it is actually feels more real than ever. One must have vision to climb to greater heights. To me, the greatest vision is a concerted one. I like the spirit of enablement that is taking shape across the region and around the world because one day we will find it hard to not say… WOW.
-- This was my speech at the 5th Annual Asia-Pacific Spectrum Management Conference, 12-14 March 2019 --