2. High-band spectrum. (Courtesy of CTIA)
High-band data will deliver more bytes than before, with spectrum blocks that are 200 MHz or larger. These larger blocks will enable operators to carry significantly more traffic in a single channel, at higher speeds, and in support of many more wireless devices.
The price for the high-band data will be an increase in infrastructure. Unlike smartphone technology, which reaches several miles, high-band spectrum only extends for 200 meters or (several city blocks). Thus, providers will need to build out thousands of small cells to benefit from the high-capacity, low latency and multiple device capabilities of 5G.
Horizontal Slicing
This last point is an important one to consumers. Most 5G devices will not be their smart phones but smart things, e.g., cars, trains, wearables, drones, etc., and even moving nodes.
Supporting such demanding user cases and rising computing demands will require network and device capability scaling. This will require resource slicing, both vertically and horizontally. What does that mean?