Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1132978
50 I ICT TODAY BEYOND THE 911 CALL Mobile network operators offer un- limited data plans, in part, because they recognize that people want constant connectivity and are willing to pay for it. In today's mobile-first society, people do not tolerate a weak cellphone signal. "Being fully connected is a necessity for residential buildings, not only for safety reasons but also because using cellphones has become part of the daily routine," says Seri Yoon, marketing director at Advanced RF Technologies Inc. (ADRF), an in-building wireless solution provider. "Not having adequate coverage for major wireless operators can kill a deal for apartment hunters." "Wireless technology has the potential to create competitive differentiation, cost savings, improve the tenant experience and provide operational efficiencies only imagined earlier this decade for the commercial real estate market," adds Mark Horinko, president of Airwavz Solutions, an in- building connectivity provider. Part of that tenant experience means being able to access devices not just in-home but also while using apartment amenities in other locations, such as the gym or parking garage. The average person's smart- phone contains around 80 apps with an average of 10 apps used per day, according to App Annie, a global provider of mobile market data. Indeed, people use mobile apps for setting up ride shares, shopping, banking, and even to lock and unlock their vehicles. To be able to use these apps, a building must have robust indoor coverage and capacity; many buildings do not. Some materials, such as concrete, steel and low- emission glass, can block cellular signals from transmitting inside the building. In that case, building owners and managers may want to augment wireless coverage with an in-building system, either by deploying a distributed antenna system (DAS) or small cells, to increase coverage and capacity. To augment a campus environment, a combination of cellular towers and rooftop antennas can also be utilized. THE FUTURE OF CONNECTIVITY Going forward, the rollout of 5G cellular networks and Citizen's Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum at 3.5 GHz will further FIGURE 2: The 5G evolution. enhance public safety and security communications. The Promise of 5G 5G mobile communications networks (Figure 2) are expected to disrupt nearly every job sector and ecosystem across the world as deployment of these technologies enables more robotics and automation. 5G will expand into a new area of mission critical services that will require high reliability, ultra- low latency, strong security and availability. Key requirements cited by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to define 5G include: • 1 Gigabit per second (GB/s) speeds in the field • 1 Millisecond or less end-to-end latency • Support for 1,000 times increase in bandwidth per unit area WHAT IS 5G? Source: WIA 1980's Wireless generations in the United States 1G Supports voice calls with speeds of up to 2 Kbps 1990's 2G Supports voice calls and SMS text messages with speeds of up to 64 Kbps 2000's - present 3G Supports voice calls and SMS text message, videos, mobile internet and Bluetooth connectiity with speeds of up to 2 Mbps 2010's - present 4G Supports all 3G functions, but with speeds of 1 Gbps Undergoing deployment 5G Supports all 4G functions, but with projected speeds between 10 and 100 Gbps