In telecom circles 5G is a panacea for all problems: there is a ready 5G application for any connectivity need. This makes 5G dominate private wireless network projections, while Wi-Fi is either ignored or dismissed as unreliable or unable to provide millisecond-grade latency. This ignores the fact that Wi-Fi is progressing along a roadmap that addresses its shortcomings… Read More »
I wrote this Insight Note for two reasons: 1. The rise in cost of energy threatens to stress the financial performance of service providers; and 2. I want to provide context for potential investments in power saving technologies to help investors decide which would be worthwhile. Energy consumption in telecom networks has become a confounding issue because of… Read More »
Apple launched the iPhone 14 with Emergency SOS via satellite service allowing a user to send and receive text messages over Globalstar satellites (here). The direct satellite-to-handset service operates over Globalstar Gen2 satellites which will start to expire by 2025. Apple will incur costs in excess of $400 million to fund Globalstar launch 17 new satellites by the… Read More »
This will start as a technical post, but I will relate it to practical and commercial conclusions at the end. T-Mobile and Space-X announced a partnership to provide direct satellite-to-handset service using T-Mobile PCS frequency band. While this is new to Space-X, there are other players in the industry working on the same objective, primarily AST SpaceMobile and… Read More »
There are many misconceptions about power consumption in mobile networks. Some of the root cause of these misconceptions come from lobbying groups working on behalf of the wireless industry. Several publications by such organizations have purposely confounded the topic. Mobile network operators for their part have been largely silent. As an energy crisis grips the globe, it is… Read More »
Countries are in process of allocating spectrum for private wireless network, but are they assigning the right spectrum? Most of the allocated spectrum falls in the mid-bands, primarily 3.x GHz, or the millimeter-wave bands (24, 26, 27, 28 and 38 GHz). A close look shows the fragmentation in allocated spectrum which could not be good for economies of… Read More »
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) brings a number of features that elevate the performance of Wi-Fi significantly from that of older generations. These features solve many of the challenges that limit the performance of current Wi-Fi networks, and raise the performance to a level close to that of cellular networks based on 4G and 5G technologies. Since 5G private networks… Read More »
There was a noticeable increase in interest over the past several months in “Green 5G”. Energy consumption was top-of-mind for CTOs at MWC22. Different industry lobbyists released white-papers praising the energy efficiency of 5G [a few of which are misleading and even utterly wrong]. The jump in energy prices, especially in Europe, became a concern for their inflationary… Read More »
In almost every enterprise private wireless network (PWN) engagement, I come across the question of what technology to select: 4G/LTE or 5G1? Deciding between LTE and 5G is often complex and needs careful analysis. Here, I outline the top 5 factors to help in the decision making process. 1. Performance & Features The PWN has to meet the… Read More »
The row between the wireless and aviation industries on potential interference between 5G and aircraft radio altimeters is sounding like a storm in a tea cup! The genesis of this dispute is a report in October 2020 by the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) citing potential interference to altimeters operating in the 4.2 – 4.4 GHz band… Read More »
The direct satellite-to-device (DS2D) market is expected to reach $35 billion by 2030, and counting 400 million average monthly subscriptions driven by 5G technology (according to NSR). This is about $7/month. This highlights a very sensitive business case: constellations cost billions to deploy and operate; they need a refresh every 5-10 years. With much of the world’s unconnected… Read More »
The feasibility of frequency spectrum sharing arrangements is becoming increasingly of interest to ICT regulators for many reasons. Among these reasons, two standout. First, the frequency spectrum requirements to deliver broadband services is getting larger. This requires opening new frequency bands where existing users have legitimate needs. Second, the utilization of spectrum varies widely in time and geography… Read More »
Last year, I outlined several challenges facing enterprise private wireless networks (here). In this post, I wanted to highlight the role of dual SIM phones and eSIM technology in enabling private wireless networks. The SIM impacts how subscribers access the private network and, consequently, the quality of experience which makes the SIM a critical part of enterprise networks.… Read More »
Two things led me to write this post. First, much of what’s written about 6G focuses on what 6G could be, but little arguing for why we need 6G! Second, 5G offers a very flexible architecture and a rich roadmap which will need many years to fully develop and use. These two reasons makes the question of why… Read More »
Since Covid further exposed the rural digital deficit, many have asked to deploy 5G to provide broadband services in rural areas. Many others are skeptical for various reasons. To sort through the issue, We were commissioned to investigate how 5G can bridge the urban-rural digital divide. In our paper (download here), we review some of the technical characteristics… Read More »