5G is the fifth-generation wireless network designed to deliver ultra-high data speeds, low latency, and increased reliability through new radio technology and network slicing. It aims to support a wide range of services, including enhanced mobile broadband, massive IoT applications, and ultra-reliable low latency communications. The technology is set to transform various aspects of life and industries, promising significant economic impact and numerous new applications in the coming years.

1. 5G – FIFTH-GENERATION EXPLANATION
Sertsedengle Shewandagn Assefa
America College of Technology (ACT), Computer Science Department, 4 Kilo, Addis Ababa, ET
sertseshewa@gmail.com
November 3, 2021
Abstract
5G is a Fifth-generation wireless network that provides NR technology and flexible 5G core with server-
based architecture and network slicing. It is the next-generation cellular network that is meant to deliver
higher multi-Gigabit per second peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network
capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users. 5G uses the
orthogonal frequency division multiplex as its modulation format, similar to LTE but 5G also supports
CP-OFDM in the uplink direction. It is used across three main types of connected services, including
enhanced mobile broadband, mission-critical communications, and the massive IoT. A defining
capability of 5G is that it is designed for forwarding compatibility the ability to flexibly support future
services that are unknown today. 5G promised a huge transformation and a better future.
Key Words: 5G NR, 5G core, LTE, CP-OFDM, IoT
1. Introduction
Over the last century we have observed a
generation evolution of communication
technologies, and especially in the recent
decade’s wireless technologies evolved from one
generation to another with better qualities and
capabilities. Let's start by answering, what are the
communication technologies? There are two
types of communication technologies, wireless
and wired communication. Wired
communications is a broad term that is used to
describe any type of communication process that
relies on the direct use of cables and wiring to
transmit data. A classic example of wired
communications is the traditional home telephone
that is connected to the local telephone switch via
wires that are run from the home to the switch,
the other example is broadband internet which
transfers data through a cable like coaxial and
fiber optic cables. [1] Wireless communication is
a broad term that incorporates all procedures and
forms of connecting and communicating between
two or more devices using a wireless signal
through wireless communication technologies
and devices. [2] Wireless communication is also
called mobile or cellular communication, and
some of the examples are Wi-Fi which is a
method of connection to the internet wirelessly,
the other example is the mobile networks which
we are using to connect with our families and
friends without a wire just using transceiver on
our mobile phones and nodes in the area.
Over the past half the century, cellular networks
evolved over different generations. Starting from
the early generation Zero generation (0G) with a
big box of voice call mobile devices, then to the
First generation (1G) analog-based mobile device
that can only transfer voice, then to the second
generation (2G) digital communication tool
which adds a capability to transfer not only voice
but SMS as well, within a decade an advanced
digital communication network Third generation
(3G) developed with the capability to transfer
voice, SMS, and data, then a decade later, the
latest and current technology we are using today
the Fourth generation (4G) come out with better
quality and speed of transferring data, voice, and
SMS, and today engineers are working towards
5G. [4]
5G is a fifth-generation cellular network that
provides NR(New Radio). It provides not only a
new powerful RAN (Radio Access Network)

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technology, called NR, for very high bit rates,
very low delays (latency), and very high
connection densities but also a new, highly
modular, and flexible 5G core with Service Based
Architecture (SBA) and Network Slicing. The
underlying technologies used are NFV (Network
Functions Virtualization) and SDN (Software
Defined Networking) in cloud environments. But
this is not all. Without changing the core
network, 5G also enables not only NR, non-3GPP
WLAN, and 4G access but also fixed lines. [5] A
5G system can thus implement FMC (Fixed
Mobile Convergence) with only one core network
technology. For this reason, 5G can no longer be
called a mobile network. If a 5G system is
deployed and used in this general way, it is a new
generation converged network.
Who invented 5G?
According to QUALCOMM, No company or
person owns 5G, but several companies within
the mobile ecosystem are contributing to bringing
5G to life. [6] Discussions on fifth-generation
(5G) mobile communication began around 2012.
In many discussions, the term 5G is used to
refer to specific new 5G radio-access
technology. [7] 3GPP (Third Generation
Partnership Project) is the industry organization
that defines the global specifications for 3G
UMTS, 4G LTE, and 5G technologies. 3GPP is
the one who developed it and introduced it to the
world in the mid of 2016 based on Wikipedia.
3GPP is driving many essential inventions across
all aspects of 5G design, from the air interface to
the service layer. [6]
2. Main Concept
The basic concept of connection-oriented
communication is that the subscriber requests to
establish a connection to the public switched
network (PSTN) then the PSTN start establishing
a connection between the subscriber and the
receiver, then if the user is available and not
busy, will get a request on the form of a ringtone
to respond and when it accepts the call direct user
data exchange will be established and the
connection stays still, then when the user finished
and hung up, the connection termination will be
initiated. This was the circuit switching
technique, where the line made will be occupied
by one subscriber until the connection
termination is initiated. But the packet switching
technique provided a better solution by providing
a method to transfer the requests and data in a
form of separated packets which enables the
PSTN network to handle other requests
simultaneously.
The New Generation Network (NGN) is a
packet-oriented (core) network for as many
services as possible. It includes real-time services
such as telephony, so the network must provide a
guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS). One of the
important features of NGN is that the complete
separation of connection and service control from
the transport of user data. [5]
2.1 Development
Despite LTE being a very capable technology,
there are requirements not possible to meet with
LTE, so 3GPP initiated the development of a
new radio-access technology known as NR to
exploit the potential of new technologies. A
workshop setting the scope was held in the fall of
2015 and technical work began in the spring of
2016. [7]
NR reuses many of the structures and features of
LTE. OFDM is one of the examples, it has
become the standard modulation format for 5G
NR. OFDM introduced the possibility that band-
limited orthogonal signals can be combined with
significant overlap while avoiding interchannel
interference. Using OFDM, we can create an
array of subcarriers that all work together to
transmit information over a range of frequencies.
[9]

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OFDM is an efficient modulation format used in
modern wireless communication systems
including 5G. OFDM combines the benefits of
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) and
Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) to
produce a high-data-rate communication system.
QAM refers to a variety of specific modulation
types: BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying), QPSK
(Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), 16QAM (16-
state QAM), 64QAM (64-state QAM), etc. [7]
To increase the availability and accessibility of
5G, three electromagnetic waves (EMW)
spectrums are considered, Low band 5G (600-
750 MHz), Mid band 5G (1 GHz - 6 GHz), and
High band (mm-Wave) spectrum which uses
frequency higher than 24Ghz. Mainly 5G will
operate on sub-6Ghz and sub-3Ghz frequencies.
Low band spectrum 5G is best understood as a
blanket layer for nationwide coverage. It operates
between 600-750 MHz and will be at a baseline
level of 5G. It is 20% faster than 4G and can
serve customers within hundreds of square miles
for rural coverage. Spectrum in the 1GHz - 6GHz
range is a mid-band spectrum and it is considered
ideal for 5G because it can carry plenty of data
while also traveling significant distances within
several Kilometers. Mid band 5G offers service
within smaller areas compared to low band 5G,
and because carriers can allocate more resources
in mid-band, data speeds are higher than for low
band 5G between 100–900 Mbit/s peak speed. It
is 6x faster than 4G and is likely to be available
in metropolitan areas. [7]
5G high-band spectrum is the ideal spectrum for
more widespread use of massive MIMO because
it delivers super-fast speeds over short distances.
It is called the third bucket of the spectrum,
where wireless operators are deploying 5G is in
the millimeter-wave spectrum. It uses
frequencies of 24–47 GHz, near the bottom of the
millimeter-wave band, although higher
frequencies may be used in the future. It often
achieves download speeds in the gigabit-per-
second (Gbit/s) range, comparable to cable
internet. Typically millimeter-wave
communication is likely to be used for outdoor
coverage for dense networks - typically densely
used. its range is tight, up to 200 or 300 meters.
One of the issues of using millimeter-wave
signals is that they can also be affected by natural
changes. So, 5G networks operate on a higher
mmWave frequency with a wider spectrum
bandwidth, which enables a higher capacity for
transferring data. And the wider the spectrum, the
more devices that can join and operate at a faster
rate. [7]
NR primarily uses an orthogonal multiple-access
scheme where different devices are separated in
time and frequency. However, non-orthogonal
access schemes have the potential to increase
capacity in some scenarios. So three types of
multiple access schemes are considered. [3]
1. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple
Access (OFDMA) is a multi-user version of
OFDM enabling concurrent AP communication
(uplink & downlink) with multiple clients by
assigning subsets of subcarriers, called Resource
Units (RUs) to the individual clients.
2. Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) is a
new frequency domain non-orthogonal multiple-
access technique which can improve the spectral
efficiency of wireless radio access. Multiple
SCMA layers share the same time-frequency
resources of OFDMA.
3. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)
uses superposition coding at the transmitter such
that the successive interference cancellation
(SIC) receiver can separate the users both in the
uplink and in the downlink channels.
2.2 Specification of 5G
The procedure on the way to 5G differed and still
differs significantly from that of previous

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generations of mobile networks, including 3G
and 4G. While in the past, the focus was on
communication between and services for people,
it is now on providing a networked world for
everyone and everything, i.e., not only for people
but also for (smart) things and systems. [7] In
2017, 3GPP and its partners gathered around and
start formulating standards for 5G and in 2018
the first standard release 15 was announced.
In release 15, communication with fixed
infrastructure is provided by the access-link
interface between the base station and the UE.
The list of specifications released on release 15
includes mission-critical (MC) interworking with
legacy systems, WLAN and unlicensed spectrum,
Slicing – logical end-2-end networks, API
Exposure – 3rd party access to 5G services,
service-based architecture (SBA), etc.
In release 16, the option of the NR side link
(PC5) is added, which can operate in-coverage,
out-of-coverage, and partial-coverage scenarios,
utilizing all NR frequency bands. The list of
specifications released on release 15 includes
enhancement of ultra-reliable low latency
communications (URLLC), cellular IoT support
and evolution, advanced V2X support, 5G
location, and positioning services, etc.
2.3 Applicability of 5G
5G networks will be used in many areas of life.
But the wide use cases of 5G are summarized in
three major categories based on previous results,
experience, and standardization work: [7]
1. Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB): an
extension of services first enabled by 4G LTE
networks that allow for a high data rate across a
wide coverage area. Examples of use cases are
mobile broad-band communication, UHD
television (Ultra High Definition), hologram,
augmented reality, virtual reality, and high
mobility in trains or airplanes, virtual presence.
Its peak data rate: 10 to 20 Gbps, 100Mbps
whenever needed, 10000 times more traffic, and
supports macro and small cells.
2. Massive Machine-Type Communications
(MTC) accommodate emerging services like
Massive Internet of Things (MIoT): use cases in
metro or stadium, eHealth, smart city (eCity),
smart farming (eFarm), wearables, inventory
control. It also supports a high density of devices,
long-range, and supports low data rate (about 1 to
100 Kbps).
3. Ultra-reliable and low latency
communications (URLLC) is a new service
category in 5G to accommodate emerging
services and applications having stringent latency
and reliability requirements. It provides ultra-
responsive connections, offers less than 1ms air
interface latency, is ultra-reliable (99.999%), and
has low to medium data rates. Examples of use
cases are interactive games, sports broadcasts,
industrial control, drones, and robots.
2.4 Effect of 5G
5G will bring a dramatic change in our lives,
economy, living styles, almost everything. 5G’s
full economic effect will likely be realized across
the globe by 2035, enabling up to $13.1 trillion
worth of goods and services, 22.8 Million new
jobs will be created and $265B global 5G
CAPEX and R&D annually over the next 15
years. This impact is much greater than previous
network generations. The development
requirements of the new 5G network are also
expanding beyond the traditional mobile
networking players to industries such as the
automotive industry. 5G value chain includes
OEMs, operators, content creators, app
developers, and consumers. There will be many
emerging and new applications that will still be
defined in the future.

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5G is designed to do a variety of things that can
transform our lives, including giving us faster
download speeds, low latency, and more capacity
and connectivity for billions of devices—
especially in the areas of virtual reality (VR),
Augmented reality (AR), the IoT, and artificial
intelligence (AI). For example, with 5G, you can
access new and improved experiences including
near-instant access to cloud services, multiplayer
cloud gaming, shopping with augmented reality,
and real-time video translation and collaboration,
and more. [6]
3. Conclusion
5G is a fifth-generation mobile network. It
provides a new powerful radio access network
technology, called New Radio, for very high bit
rates, very low delays, and very high connection
densities but also a new, highly modular, and
flexible 5G core with service-based architecture
and network slicing. It is a new global mobile
network standard that comes after 1G, 2G, 3G,
and 4G. It enables a new kind of network that is
designed to connect not just everyone but
everything including machines, objects, and
devices. It uses orthogonal frequency modulation
multiplexing as its modulation format and it is
considering non-orthogonal frequency
modulation multiplex access as its access
schemes. Three electromagnetic wave spectrum
ranges are considered to distribute low band for
rural area distribution, mid-band for metropolitan
distribution, and mmWave for short-range but
dense areas distribution. It is poised to be faster
than any previous networks, 100x faster than the
current generation network 4G. It also provides
low latency, letting applications and
communications running on 5G connect and
share data in near real-time. It has three major use
case categories, enhanced mobile broadband,
massive machine-type communication, and ultra-
reliable and low latency communications. Which
will transform the way of living and satisfy the
network need for new emerging technologies like
autonomous cars, robots, AI, AR and VR, and so
on. Simply, it is one key of the three lock door to
the future, where the other keys are being
Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing.
4. References
[1] What are Wired Communications? (with
pictures). (2012, July 11). EasyTechJunkie.
Retrieved Nov 8, 2021, from
https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-are-wired-
communications.htm
[2] Wireless Communication - Overview. (n.d.).
Tutorials Point. Retrieved Nov 8, 2021, from
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/wireless_commu
nication/wireless_communication_overview.htm
[3] Notes, E. (n.d.). 5G Multiple Access Schemes
. Electronic Notes. https://www.electronics-
notes.com/articles/connectivity/5g-mobile-
wireless-cellular/multiple-access-scheme.php
[4] Singh, J. (2018, April 24). Generations of
Wireless Technology. IJERT. Retrieved
November 8, 2021, from
https://www.ijert.org/generations-of-wireless-
technology
[5] Trick, U. (2021). 5G: An Introduction to the
5th Generation Mobile Networks (De Gruyter
STEM). De Gruyter Oldenbourg.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110724509
[6] What is 5G? (2021, May 13). Qualcomm.
Retrieved November 8, 2021, from
https://www.qualcomm.com/5g/what-is-5g
[7] Dahlman, E., Parkvall, S., & Skold, J. (2018).
5G NR: The Next Generation Wireless Access
Technology (1st ed.). Academic Press.
https://doi.org/10.1016/C2017-0-01347-2
[8] Releases. (n.d.). 3GPP. Retrieved November
9, 2021, from
https://www.3gpp.org/specifications/67-releases
[9] Witte, B. (2020, April 16). The basics of 5G’s
modulation, OFDM. 5G Technology World.
Retrieved November 9, 2021, from
https://www.5gtechnologyworld.com/the-basics-
of-5gs-modulation-ofdm/