To comprehend the origin and categorization of wireless technologies, specifically the identification of 5G, a thorough understanding of IMT-2020 is necessary. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, serves as the governing body for global communication technology matters through its divisions: Radio communications (ITU-R), Standardization (ITU-T), and Development (ITU-D). In order to establish a unified global certification, ITU-R evaluates and certifies technologies based on meticulously crafted requirements. For a technology to be designated as 5G, it must fulfill these ITU-R requirements, which are assessed during the IMT-2020 deliberations. Although the initial NR release has been finalized, the true classification of 5G is contingent upon meeting these criteria. As delineated in the IMT-2020 vision, a 5G technology must satisfy the specifications outlined in Figure 1.1. These requirements primarily revolve around three key development cases:
- Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB),
- Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC),
- Â Massive Machine Type Communications (MMTC).
the requirements of each one of them is as shown below
|
Capability |
Description |
5G requirement |
Usage scenario |
|
Downlink peak data rate |
Minimum maximum data rate technology must support |
20 Gbit/s |
eMBB |
|
Uplink peak data rate |
|
10 Gbit/s |
eMBB |
|
User experienced downlink data rate |
Minimum data rate in dense urban test environment 95% of time (5th percentile) |
100 Mbit/s |
eMBB |
|
User experienced uplink data rate |
|
50 Mbit/s |
eMBB |
|
Latency |
Radio network contribution to packet travel time |
4 ms |
eMBB |
|
|
|
1 ms |
URLLC |
|
Mobility |
Maximum speed for handoff and QoS requirements |
500Â km/h |
eMBB/URLLC |
|
Connection density |
Total number of devices per unit area |
106/km2 |
mMTC |
|
Energy efficiency |
Data sent/received per unit energy consumption (by device or network) |
Equal to 4G |
eMBB |
|
Area traffic capacity |
Total traffic across coverage area |
10 Mbps/m2 |
eMBB |
|
Peak downlink spectrum efficiency |
Throughput per unit wireless bandwidth and per network cell |
30 bit/s/Hz |
eMBB |