What is 5G infrastructure?

Key components of enterprise-ready 5G infrastructure

A modern enterprise-ready 5G infrastructure closely follows the design principles typically used in cloud computing, which relies heavily on technologies such as virtualization and containerization, software-based -- or software-driven -- infrastructure operations, flexibility, resilience and high scalability. Typical 5G infrastructures include four major elements: a RAN, a core computing network, an edge computing network, and a comprehensive management and security framework.

Radio access network

The RAN generally involves radio and antenna equipment that facilitates high-frequency radio communication between base stations and mobile devices, such as smartphones or cellular-capable IoT devices. The RAN carries digital information in the form of radio signals, enabling endpoint devices to be almost anywhere at any time.

5G infrastructure operates at higher frequencies than prior generations, requiring denser equipment -- meaning it's placed more closely together -- and advanced radio technologies. This infrastructure often employs smaller cellular antenna coverage areas, enabling shorter travel distances for high-frequency millimeter wave (mmWave) radio signals -- reducing latency and enhancing bandwidth. 5G also uses massive multiple-input, multiple-output, employing many antennas on cell stations to collaboratively transmit and receive data for greater data handling capacity. Beamforming techniques can focus radio signals in desired directions, enhancing signal strength and mitigating interference when communicating with more remote devices.

A RAN also provides the means to interact with computing networks such as the core computing network or edge computing networks. The RAN can encode digital information from networks into radio signals for transmission to endpoint devices and decode digital information sent from endpoint devices across wireless signals for transmission onto traditional digital networks.

Core computing network

The 5G core network (5GC) is the centralized computing platform of the 5G infrastructure. A 5GC network runs applications and services supplied by the cellular network provider and can increasingly support workloads operated by the enterprise user.

5GC networks typically replicate cloud computing infrastructures, which abandon traditional, dedicated, task-specific hardware in favor of modular, heterogeneous, microservices-based designs. The control planes and user data planes are separated for greater performance and security. This cloud-like approach to architecture design enables agility, flexibility and scalability, helping 5G providers to deploy and scale network services for enterprise users as necessary.

In addition, the software-driven approach to the 5GC network relies on virtualization technologies such as network function virtualization (NFV), effectively virtualizing network functions to create software-based services running on general-purpose servers rather than dedicated hardware.

Network virtualization enables the creation of isolated virtual networks on the single shared 5GC network infrastructure -- a technique called network slicing. Each virtual network -- or slice -- can be configured to meet the specific requirements of the provider or the enterprise user. For example, one network slice might be configured for enhanced mobile broadband to enable high-resolution video streams, while another network slice might be configured for ultra-reliable low-latency communication for mission-critical data exchanges.

Edge computing network

Edge computing capabilities are increasingly appearing in 5G infrastructures. Multi-access edge computing (MEC) effectively distributes a greater network, bringing storage and computing capabilities much closer to the network edge where data is created. MEC capabilities can enable on-premises processing for ultra-low latency applications, provider edge processing for less demanding applications or traditional centralized data exchanges with a cloud provider. MEC deployments are often hybrid cloud capable, enabling enterprise users to integrate their private clouds with the carrier's edge systems.

Management and security

5G providers also support a comprehensive management and security framework for enterprise users. Management tools enable users to handle billing, access new features, configure services with a high degree of self-service and automation, and collaborate with the provider for creative new business uses. Security capabilities start with a zero-trust posture, and incorporate strong encryption and authentication for devices and the network. Firewalls, intrusion mitigation systems and strong virtual isolation protect users and the underlying infrastructure.

Business use cases enabled by 5G infrastructure

5G infrastructures deliver a combination of high throughput, low latency and greater capacity for more network devices. This enables a vast array of business use cases across industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and retail. An abbreviated list of potential business use cases for 5G includes:

• Advanced perception. 5G infrastructures can gather and process real-time information such as location, object and even individual identification. The results of this identification and subsequent analysis can be delivered to users through augmented reality eyewear to help users with situational awareness -- such as in retail shopping -- and learning. AI can even generate simulations that can be shown through virtual reality devices, which can aid buyer interest -- such as with virtual try-ons -- or help with training and testing tasks.
• Asset tracking and resource allocation. 5G infrastructures can collect location and service information on all types of physical assets, process and analyze the status of each asset, and make recommendations for asset utilization -- directing users to the nearest, most appropriate and most available asset. This can enhance access to assets and improve business efficiency.
• Autonomous vehicles. 5G infrastructures can use 5G's high bandwidth, low latency and large device count to support autonomous vehicle operation in confined areas -- such as warehouses -- and open regions -- such as with on-road vehicles. 5G can handle location, resource and performance data, enabling vehicles to make optimized decisions for safety and traffic behavior in response to changing weather, traffic and other real-world conditions.
• Customer experience. 5G infrastructures can support large numbers of customers in real-time. This is especially useful in retail environments. 5G can help to blend inventory tracking with mobile checkouts to expedite shopping and enhance customer experience.
• Logistics. 5G infrastructures can collect an array of vehicle data to optimize vehicle routes, improve delivery schedules, track fleet locations and enhance delivery services or outcomes -- such as saving fuel or reducing wear.
• Manufacturing. 5G infrastructures can provide real-time monitoring and control of IoT sensors and manufacturing equipment, such as robotics. Businesses can operate factory floors in real-time and analyze the collected data for quality control and predictive maintenance. 5G capabilities are well-suited to managing remote operations, enabling equipment to be operated from considerable physical distances with little latency.
• Smart cities. 5G infrastructures can effectively collect data from disparate IoT devices -- such as 5G-enabled cameras and IoT sensors -- to monitor traffic, perform analytics and adjust traffic flow dynamically to reduce congestion or help first-responders address emergency situations.
• Telemedicine. 5G infrastructures can benefit healthcare industries by supporting telemedicine for improved clinician access, remote patient monitoring and real-time alerts or diagnoses. The high bandwidth, low latency, and solid reliability of 5G also make remote robotic surgery possible, enabling surgeons to perform procedures on remote patients using robotic tools.

Limitations of 5G infrastructure

Despite the many potential benefits of 5G infrastructure, the technology is imperfect and subject to a range of limitations that should be considered carefully before integrating 5G services into enterprise network strategies. Common limitations of 5G infrastructure include:

• 5G devices. The 5G network is intended for 5G devices. Older mobile devices -- such as 4G or older devices -- might not work properly. This requires businesses to procure, install and maintain newer 5G devices -- posing a significant expense for business users.
• Costly infrastructure. 5G infrastructure components are costly, using advanced equipment which can be expensive to procure, deploy and maintain. 5G providers must be able to meet their costs and generate profit from their service coverage, and this can slow the expansion of 5G in rural areas.
• Obstructions. The high-frequency signals used by 5G are easily blocked by physical obstructions, such as trees and buildings. This limits signal range and can sometimes result in disrupted signals. A dense network of smaller cells can help overcome this limitation but create problems of their own.
• Power. 5G infrastructures typically demand more power than earlier infrastructures. The need for more and denser cell stations can drive up energy costs for providers. 5G devices also tend to use notably more power than earlier devices because they can exchange more data at higher bandwidths, resulting in shorter battery life and more frequent battery replacement regimens.
• Radio spectrum limitations. 5G uses a finite portion of the radio spectrum, which faces enormous competition for access. A limited radio spectrum results in finite limits for bandwidth, range and device count support. Advanced techniques such as AI optimization can help to maximize utilization of the available 5G radio spectrum, but limitations might impact future 5G growth.
• Range. 5G uses high-frequency mmWave radio, which has a shorter range than previous 4G frequencies. Consequently, 5G infrastructures demand a larger number of smaller cell sites for consistent and reliable coverage.
• Rural access. Remote areas can pose coverage problems. The large number of smaller cell sites needed for 5G infrastructure coverage are expensive and can be challenging to deploy in practice. In addition, many rural and remote areas might not possess the minimum telecommunications infrastructure needed to support 5G deployments. This can limit 5G service in rural areas.
• Security. As 5G infrastructures become more complex and rely on more and smaller cell sites, the consequential security risks multiply and demand greater attention to security frameworks. These security frameworks must protect the configuration and operation of the 5G infrastructure itself, as well as the data that moves across the network.

How to evaluate 5G infrastructure partners

Adopting 5G technology will require an enterprise to establish a collaborative partnership with 5G telecom providers to supply the 5G infrastructure and services that the enterprise will rely on to develop its own business. Enterprise leaders will need to carefully consider the available providers in the marketplace and assess their technical abilities, operational performance, support and guidance, and long-term roadmap. Although the actual steps involved in such evaluations will vary, some common points of consideration should include:

• Enterprise goals. Any evaluation must start with an internal assessment of business goals. Consider why 5G services are needed and how such services should fit into the existing enterprise infrastructure. Set expectations for 5G outcomes. Achieving enterprise goals is the ultimate measure of success with 5G infrastructure partners.
• 5G infrastructure capabilities. Examine the technical aspects of the 5G provider for expertise in various elements, such as support for 5G non-standalone architectures, which handle 4G and 5G infrastructure versus standalone 5G-only architectures. Also, consider the provider's spectrum usage with high-band for speed, low-band for coverage area and mid-band usage for a mix of both. In a broader sense, the provider's infrastructure should reflect a cloud-native, software-defined approach that enables rapid scalability, agility and resilience.
• Edge computing. If the enterprise intends to develop ultra-low latency environments, consider 5G providers with well-designed edge computing capabilities. These capabilities enable providers to integrate cloud service provider gear at the 5G network edge, reducing the distance and time needed to exchange data with a cloud provider.
• Network virtualization. Every enterprise user has unique needs from 5G infrastructure. Network virtualization enables the provider to create virtual networks on the same physical infrastructure, provisioning each instance for diverse services and performance needs.
• Security and compliance. Look for certifications -- such as NIST--  of security and compliance posture. Evaluate the provider's security strategies, such as zero-trust, requiring authentication and authorization for every user and device accessing 5G system resources. Discuss the provider's use of advanced security technologies such as AI, enabling proactive threat detection and mitigation, as well as a faster incident response.
• Performance and resilience. When the 5G provider has downtime, the enterprise users will also have downtime. Evaluate the reliability of the 5G provider's network in terms of nines. Five nines -- 99.999% -- availability is considered a high-availability infrastructure. Look for resilience in the network design with no single points of failure to cause disruptions.
• Vertical expertise. If the 5G provider offers specializations in relevant industry verticals, discuss their expertise in the vertical and its workflows to ensure that the 5G provider can demonstrate that knowledge and ability to meet those specific enterprise needs.
• Future roadmap. 5G providers depend on business growth as well, so expect the provider to seek more customers and devices in the future. Consider the provider's investment strategy, roadmap or business plans to meet those increasing demands over time -- and how they plan to meet the future performance needs of existing enterprise customers at the same time.
• Costs. Consider 5G costs carefully and evaluate the impact of hidden or recurring costs. Look at the costs of adding new services or licenses in the future. Discuss potential volume discounts or cost management strategies -- especially as the enterprise adds more users or devices to the 5G network.
• Risk assessments and alternatives. Finally, consider the business implications of 5G service disruptions due to provider actions. For example, how can the enterprise respond if the 5G provider discontinues or deprecates a vital service, changes its pricing structure or licensing terms, gets acquired, or even files for bankruptcy? While the enterprise cannot prevent these events, having a backup plan to deal with partner disruptions can prevent long-term business disruptions.

5G infrastructure market trends

Modern businesses demand high-speed connectivity to support a burgeoning array of wireless devices such as smartphones and IoT devices. At the same time, advancements in AI and machine learning are enabling new 5G capabilities that expand the potential of 5G infrastructures. These market demands are pushing cellular providers to invest extensively in 5G technology. Market Research Future analysis reports the global 5G infrastructure market is expected to reach USD $320B by 2032.

Radio spectrum use is a key issue for 5G. Where low-band portions of the radio spectrum are often used for wider coverage, and high-band spectrum areas meet the need for higher data bandwidth, 5G providers appear to be trending toward mid-band spectrum use for a balance of coverage and bandwidth.

Technologies such as edge computing and virtualization are increasingly integrated into 5G infrastructures. Edge computing enables the collection and use of data closer to where data is created and can provide processing that reduces the need to move huge amounts of data to a centralized location for analytics. Network virtualization enables the 5G infrastructure to be logically partitioned for individual business users. This enables providers to tailor resources to meet the needs of each business customer.

Finally, there is a growing demand for private 5G networks -- effectively ensuring that a business user has exclusive access to the 5G network. This is particularly useful for mission-critical business uses such as manufacturing and other industrial applications.

Learn how to construct a private 5G network architecture for greater control over the enterprise wireless environment.