* By Yassuki Takano
5G, as the acronym already indicates, is the fifth generation of mobile communications and differs from previous generations by offering services with extremely high data transmission capacity, extremely high reliability and low latency in communication. These features allow, for example, media streams - video in 4K or even 8K - and connectivity to the internet of things.
5G also has a feature that seems to be very useful to enrich the service portfolio of operators: network slicing, which allows you to configure connectivity services with different combinations of features:
• Very high capacity and reliability, for video transmission, for example;
• Very high reliability and very low latency, but not necessarily a high volume of data transmission, for services such as autonomous vehicle monitoring or drone control;
• Connection with thousands, millions or even billions with low energy consumption and small data packages - characteristic of automation sensors.
Thanks to these characteristics, 5G enables a wide range of new services, much more advanced and more focused on business verticals - transforming the way operators do business with their customers, how they use these services and how they negotiate through them.
But not everything is good news, and these advantages have a trade-off. First, due to its technical characteristics, this new generation of telephony will demand a greater number of cells, which should increase costs and operational complexity. With the increase in complexity, letting the organization grow in an uncontrolled way can decrease the gains generated by the new services made possible by 5G. Automation and the search for operational efficiency become mandatory and bring with it a need to review processes and work structures.
Another change that happens in parallel with the arrival of 5G - and is intrinsically linked to it is the evolution of telecom networks to a software-based environment. That is, from environments entirely composed of specialized hardware, it becomes a business of coding and development of applications for services, supported by a virtualized infrastructure.
It is the world of NFV (Network Function Virtualization), which significantly changes not only the architecture of telecommunications networks, but also the working structures and the necessary training of professionals. Thus, the importance of training professionals with knowledge in software and in topics such as agile practices and DevOps, which become more important than ever, grows.
* Yassuki Takano, Logicalis Consulting Director
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
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