How Telecommunication and Wireless Testing get a Boost with 5G

 

telecommunication-and-wireless-testing-get-a-boost-with-5G

The telecom sector can be said to be the backbone behind the digital revolution. The revolution has truly transformed the way people, entities, and governments communicate, collaborate, transact, manage, administer, and operate. The telecommunications industry is moving towards implementing wireless technologies with 5G expected to bring a sea change in the way we leverage the internet. The telecommunications industry, by leveraging 5G technology, is expected to enable a lot of systems that are still taking shape on the drawing boards of engineers or technocrats at various research centers. For example, the use of robots, self-driving vehicles, drones, nano devices in the healthcare sector, and automated machines, among others, are likely to be commonplace in the not-so-distant future. 

Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), 4G/5G, microservices, and cloud, among others, are expanding our thresholds for business, speed, connectivity, convenience, and security, among others. According to Statista, the number of forecasted 5G subscriptions globally by 2023 is going to be 1.3 billion. 5G or fifth generation is the next mobile technology standard, which is likely to take over from 4G/LTE technology and usher in a new era in communication. This would call for augmenting the capacities of testing 5G networks by enterprises, resources, and tools. However, before delving into the impact of 5G in facilitating telecom network testing let us know what 5G is all about.

What is 5G?

It is the fifth-generation mobile network and a new wireless standard post 4G. 5G envisages connecting virtually everything together – machines, objects, and devices. 5G wireless technology is expected to be a game-changer as far as enabling seamless communication is concerned. It would be characterized by ultra-low or negligible latency, multi-Gbps peak data speeds, massive network capacity, more reliability, uniform user-experience, increased availability, and high performance. 5G wireless technology will enable new deployment models and services and positively impact every industry. It is likely to make transportation safer, enable remote healthcare, digitized logistics, and precision agriculture to name a few.

5G will have a wider bandwidth with the expansion of spectrum resources; from sub 3GHz in 4G to 100GHz and more. By enabling extreme capacities in systems, 5G can deliver faster broadband services and venture into new areas involving mission-critical communications and IoT. Also, as wireless technology, 5G can support all types of spectrum, namely, shared, licensed, and unlicensed. Its mindboggling speed of around 20 Gbps can significantly decrease latency and deliver instantaneous and real-time access to services.

How 5G helps to boost software testing for communications industry

Let us first understand the areas where 5G wireless technology will find increased usage. These include connected services such as the Internet of Things, enhanced mobile broadband, and mission-critical communications.

The Internet of Things (IoT): If IoT is still in its infancy as far as its usage in our daily lives is concerned, 5G is going to transform it on a massive scale. It will allow seamless connectivity and operation of embedded sensors in almost every device in the electrical and electronics environment. The fast speed of connectivity achieved through 5G can scale down data rates, mobility, and power consumption thereby offering low-cost and lean connectivity solutions. Since the outcomes of such solutions would be based on the perfect working of devices, embedded sensors, and the all-encompassing network, telecommunication software testing would become integral to the whole process. With the advent of 5G, the use of things like virtual assistants, smart bands, health trackers, smart home appliances, and climate control systems may become all-pervasive. 

Enhanced mobile broadband: 5G wireless technology has the capability to transform immersive experiences with Virtual and Augmented Reality through lower latency, optimized data rates, and low cost-per-bit usage. And to ensure the technology to work seamlessly and as per expectations, telecom application testing services should be made rigorous and comprehensive.

Mission-critical communications: Quick, reliable, and uninterrupted communication has become imperative in the running of several critical infrastructure and activities across domains. These include healthcare and medicine, transport and logistics, defense, and space research, among others. 5G has the ability to transform industries. However, the transformation is premised on the seamless performance of critical sensors and other telecommunication equipment based on testing 5G networks.

Why are testing services for communications sector important?

It is only through telecom network testing that consumers can be assured of a product’s quality, performance, and safety based on global industry standards. Since most of the electrical and electronic equipment is going to be embedded with sensors to enable fast data transmission, testing in telecommunications becomes important. This is mainly with respect to the safety, performance, and functioning of such equipment in areas such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Near Field Communication, among others.

5G wireless technology is going to significantly improve the performance of devices like HDTV, security systems, smart appliances, and many more. The areas where 5G can make an impact are as follows:

Driverless vehicles: Instead of manually driving vehicles, drivers can manoeuvre them using sensors powered by the 5G network. This may come in handy for transporting supplies in hazardous conditions or terrains. Driverless vehicles would need an advanced internet infrastructure with extremely quick connectivity, which can only be powered through 5G.

Healthcare: Fast connectivity enabled through 5G can make remote healthcare a distinct possibility where medical professionals sitting in one part of the world can treat patients in remote locations, including conducting surgeries, using robotics. Further, health consultation for everyone using the internet can become a reality.

Conclusion

5G has the potential to radically transform machine to machine communication and pave the way for smart devices to do things that are inconceivable at present. However, since 5G needs to perform uniformly and be all-encompassing for the world of smart devices to function optimally, testing 5G networks shall be of critical importance in the scheme of things.

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James Daniel is a software Tech enthusiastic & works at Cigniti Technologies. I'm having a great understanding of today's software testing quality that yields strong results and always happy to create valuable content & share thoughts.

Article Source: medium.com

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