High-Frequency Spectrum Seen as Natural Fit for 5G, IoT

Everyone is convinced there will be lots of data traffic in 5G, Molisch said. “We’re going to be need a lot of bandwidth and really the only frequency range in which that bandwidth is available is at millimeter wave,” he said. “The ranges are going to be comparatively short for a lot of the 5G systems, which plays well with the natural properties of millimeter wave communication.”

Use of the millimeter wave frequencies dates to the early 1990s, Molisch said. The reason millimeter wave cellular failed then was that the devices and components were too expensive, he said. New device technology “has enabled millimeter wave to be extremely promising,” he said. Still, much is unknown about the propagation of millimeter wave frequencies, Molisch said. “We know a few things, but we are far, far from finished.” Sometimes that isn’t understood, he said. “Just because there is a channel model … does not mean that we are understanding what the channel does.” Another 10 or 15 years of measurements will be needed to have a complete picture, he said.

Intel Labs Vice President Vida Ilderem said 5G isn’t a “point in time” but a new “era” for wireless, which will last at least 10 years. The combination of 5G and the IoT will mean a huge increase in data, Ilderem said. She said the IoT can be broken into parts, starting with the industrial IoT and “the rise of robots, which is mostly about automation.” Also important are home and building applications, including energy efficiency, smart cities and autonomous vehicles.

“We are in a new era where data … is the new oil,” Ilderem said. “There is a tsunami wave of data coming.” Driving an autonomous car creates 1 Gbps of data, she said. An average hospital will create 4,000 GB daily and a connected factory 1 million GB a day. “This is hugely disruptive to today’s networks -- access networks, core networks and the way we do things,” she said.

“I’m very bullish about 5G,” said Arogyaswami Paulraj, professor emeritus at Stanford University and founder of a number of tech companies. “I think 5G opens up the market way beyond cellphones and there are a lot of applications that will become the fabric of our future cities.” Venture capitalists “see that and there will be funding,” he said.

“The models have changed, the innovation models have changed dramatically,” said Khurram Sheikh, CEO at kwikbit, which helps customers connect to GB wireless service. “The IEEE and the community here also has to change.” Sheikh said his first advice is to not follow the old models. “All the companies that you have heard about, I would characterize as dinosaurs,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people are working on the right problems.”

Companies need to stop thinking in terms of three- or five-year cycles for return on investment, Sheikh said. "I think people are looking at much shorter cycles," he said. "Innovation is happening faster," he said. "If you've got a new idea that takes you five years to actually get to proof of concept or a customer trial, you're too late." If companies can't build a business and hit the market in three years, they should "pivot" and do something else, he said.

Anokiwave, which develops active antennas, is focusing on the millimeter-wave bands, including new chips for the 39 GHz band, said Chief Technology Officer Nitin Jain. “In terms of 5G, the journey has been long, but there is a lot of good stuff happening,” he said.