Frequently Asked Questions - 5G-Technology-Terminology-and-Lessons-Learned/Frequently-Asked-Questions

What is referred to as 5G, or the 5th generation Cellular platform, is part of the standards set by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Since its inception, the 3GPP specifications have defined what compatible cellular networks should look like. To ensure handset interoperability with various carriers, the 3GPP released a set of standards to which all providers adhere. 5G is based on 3GPP release 15.

The key technologies for 5G-NR are:

A possible sixth technology is Mobile Edge Compute.

AT&T Wireless

T-Mobile Wireless

Verizon Wireless

Non-Stand Alone (NSA) and Stand Alone (SA) refers to the core components of the cellular network. In NSA mode the user equipment (UE) may be capable of 5G and connected over a 5G NR radio, but it is accepted and authenticated through 4G Evolved Packet Core network functions. In a SA network, the network functions are all separate from the 4G functions. In an NSA network, the Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) function is the beginning of the data network, while in a SA network, the User Plane Function (UPF) is the start of the data network.

A network slice is a logical overlay to the 5G radio access network (RAN), it allows for the identification and separation of traffic so that specific quality of service mechanics can be applied to the traffic.

No, you need to ensure that your SIM is provisioned for 5G access to include mmWave, if that is what you are testing. Not all SIMs have access.

Not all band combinations that the modem supports are deployed by carriers.

You can be connected to two different towers at the same time in an EN-DC Connection.

No, depending on the resources of the carrier and the tower to which you are connected, LTE may be faster. Disabling 5G on a modem and only using LTE could improve speeds.

High-Speed Physical Shared Downlink Channel (HS-PDSCH) is a downlink physical channel that carries user data and layer 2 overhead bits mapped from the transport channel.

Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) permits 5G NR and 4G LTE to coexist, allowing network operators a smooth transition from LTE to 5G NR. It was used in initial 5G deployment. The first 5G NR networks are on-air using NSA mode, where an LTE anchor is required to exchange control and signaling information.

5G (5G-NR) will co-exist with 4G/LTE for years. Most Carriers still have an active 3G spectrum, although they are trying to re-farm the 3G spectrum as fast as they can as part of the 5G rollout. The first 3G network was deployed by Verizon in Jan 2002 and they are set to turn it off in Dec. 2022, so 4G/LTE will still be around for some time.

Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) refers to 150 MHz of spectrum in the 3550 MHz to 3700 MHz range (3.5 GHz to 3.7 GHz) that the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has designated for sharing among three tiers of users:

While CBRS offers greater distances than Wi-Fi, both will continue to exist.

No, while that is the target of the 5G network, today’s 5G NSA networks at times still have considerable latency.

5G uses 'massive' MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) antennas with exceptionally large numbers of antenna elements or connections to send and receive more data simultaneously. The benefit to users is that more people can simultaneously connect to the network and maintain high throughput.

Beamforming is a technique to focus the transmitted or received radio energy in a particular direction using an array of antenna elements. This is achieved by applying a progressive time delay to the antenna elements so that the signals from the different elements add constructively in a desired direction.

Beamforming is the ability to adapt the radiation pattern of the antenna array to a particular scenario. MIMO refers to the fact that multiple spatially separated users are catered for by the antenna array in the same time and frequency resource.

Each core vendor has an offering in beamforming. They are smaller and lighter and vary quite a bit from traditional tower antennas. They typically include a radio as part of the device since they are mostly supporting mmWave, which typically has a short distance from antenna to radio.

Cradlepoint supports beamforming on the W4005 adapter with an 8x8 element antenna array.

No, each carrier has specific SIMs for use on 5G networks. To get 5G access a new SIM is needed.

Yes, the green 5G light indicates FR1 and the blue 5G light indicates FR2.

Use WAN verify to help constantly keep 5G access. Carriers reclaim spectrum as fast as possible, so if the device goes idle there is a particularly good chance it will drop from 5G to LTE service.

No, carrier aggregation shows up for LTE bands only.

No, service type often alternates between LTE and 5G, especially during idle periods.

AT&T, today, supports n5 as a 5G EN-DC band, and only as 5 MHz wide, but it is nationwide. When fully deployed they plan to support n2 and n77 for Mid-band support.

Antenna placement is more important than ever, especially with FR2 and as ‘C’ band releases in late 2021.

The Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) is a number to indicate the data rate a terminal can handle based on current radio conditions. It started being used in 3G to show signal quality and is based in large measure on the Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) value.

No, the 5G (X55) radio can support up to 1024 QAM on FR1 and up to 64 QAM on FR2. The Channel Quality Indicator determines the support for QAM at any point in time, and its continually adaptive.

AT&T Business offerings:

Verizon business plans:

T-Mobile business plans:

* The speed is not only limited, but the data is capped as well.

** Data is uncapped, but currently only available with a Samsung FR2 capable unit.

No, it is currently kind of an honor system. However, Cradlepoint suspects as fixed wireless access (FWA) grows over the next couple of years some sort of geofencing will be implemented to prohibit customers from moving to a location that does not have adequate backhaul to support the service or any service level agreements.

Static IP common access point names (APNs) for T-Mobile only support LTE, their 5G low/mid bands are only supported on dynamic IP APNs.

In both LTE and 5G, static IP APNs use different packet data network gateways (PGWs), which could in many cases, lead to less optimal routes being used.

The mmWave Repeater (Surecell.com) can steer mmWave beams. Cradlepoint has been able to move a mmWave 90 degrees around the corner of a building to extend Band N261 for a particular customer.

Cradlepoint 5G Branch adapters have the same support of mmWave with IP passthrough (IPPT) and NAT as the current line of 4G/LTE adapters. Some websites that support large frames seem to have an issue with IPPT but not with NAT.

Google Speedtest is a viable alternative: https://speed.measurementlab.net/#/

The biggest 5G use cases in 2021/2022:

**Source Heavy Reading and 5G Americas

Adaptive modulation allows for a change in supported QAM based on the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) as well as the data block size at any given point during a connection.

Cradlepoint 5GB modems support adaptive modulation from QSPK up to 256 QAM on FR1 and up to 64 QAM on FR2.

Supported QAM rates are related to the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) value. Refer to the following table for rates as identified in Release 12 of the 3GPP specification, where 256 QAM was first supported.

Cradlepoint’s first 3GPP release 16 modem is called the 5GC modem and is based on the QUALCOMM SDX62 chipset. It is available in the W1855 and W1850-5GC adapters, along with the E100-5GC router.

Following are some of the release 16 features:

Support for unlicensed spectrum on a 5G band, such as the use of License Assisted Access (LAA) or MulteFire, was not included in Release 15 but is included in Release 16.

License Assisted Access (LAA) is a wireless technology that allows mobile network operators to use unlicensed spectrum, specifically the 5 GHz band, alongside their licensed spectrum to increase network capacity and improve data speeds for mobile users.  While LAA was introduced in earlier 3GPP releases, it is important to note that standards and technologies continue to evolve. Subsequent releases, such as 3GPP Release 16 have introduced new features and enhancements to existing technologies, including those related to spectrum utilization and network efficiency.

MulteFire is an LTE-based technology that complements other connected technologies, acting between Wi-Fi and wireless operators' networks. It can provide opportunities for standalone industrial IoT applications using unlicensed spectrum at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

It allows a standard licensed carrier band to be used as an anchor band and uses unlicensed bands for carrier aggregation.

LTE-MTC is a specialized communication technology within the LTE (long-term evolution) family of wireless technologies. LTE-MTC is designed to support the communication needs of various internet of things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. It offers several features and characteristics tailored to the requirements of these low-power, low-data-rate, and long-range applications.

5G has a larger attack surface than older 4G hub and spoke network designs.  IoT networks have billions of connected devices and not all the networks will be home to a single corporate datacenter.  With the added 5G NR features specifically for IoT in 3GPP release 16, security at the edge with Zero Trust becomes crucial.

As the number of devices grows within new 5G NR networks, more devices, sites, and systems are exposed to security risks. By implementing ZTNA, implicit trust is removed on restricted networks, thus reducing the attack surface.

Yes, Cradlepoint routers can use an ethernet connection and utilize internet transport options like Satellite and Starlink, as well as fiber Terrestrial links.

The fastest growing uses case revolve around IoT, video transport, controls and automation, fixed wireless access, high performance data analytics, and location tracking.

Precision Timing Protocol. Compared with NTP (Network Timing Protocol), PTP allows hosts to synchronize to one common source of time with much higher precision. Where NTP allows for precision within milliseconds, PTP allows for precision within nanoseconds.

For manufacturing automation controls, a precise time is absolutely required.  When assembly processes rely on accurate time PTP becomes a requirement.

Wi-fi uses an open, unencrypted, unlicensed spectrum that suffers from overcrowding and congestion.  Private Cellular is unlicensed, encrypted by default, and the spectrum used is protected by a SAS registration.

Simply, the density. 5G networks are denser as they support more connections in a geographical area than 4G.

That depends on your ability to support a private cellular infrastructure, the coverage offered by the public carries, and the amount of data and speed of the data that your applications require.

Cellular speed is a combination of spectrum width and modulation (QAM), more so than 4G versus 5G.  5G has improvements in antenna technology to help increase spectral efficiency, but until accessing C-Band (n41, n77) and mmWave (bands n260, n261) where for 100 MHz and wider connections, 10X the speed will not be realized.

The complaint is that the commercial airplanes use 4200 to 4400 MHz to run their altimeters. The planes use this system to determine the height of the plane during the landing process. The only spectrum cleared out is 3800 to 4000, and currently band n77 is available within this spectrum. Spectrums 4000 to 4200 which boarder the FAA section of spectrum (4.2-4.4 Ghz) is still being cleaned from a previous use case for the spectrum, Broadcast Earth Stations.

Adjacent channel interference (ACI) occurs when neighboring frequencies “bleed” into one another due to improper filtering or tuning. Appropriate guard banding between adjacent channels can mitigate this issue and prevent the loss of bandwidth or noise caused by adjacent interfering signals.

All radio frequencies travel at the same speed, which is the speed of light through a vacuum. The difference is the propagation effectiveness of different frequencies. Frequency 700 propagates through a wall better than 1800 does.  Also, the width of the connect (5 or 20 MHz) has a significant effect on available speed.

In the United States, it refers to the use of unlicensed spectrum between 3.55 and 3.7 GHz.

Sidelink is a core topology of the 3GPP release 16 design that enables direct communication between two devices without the participation of a base station. It is a crucial feature for cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X), which allows vehicles to share information and other elements of the road system independent of the network.

Yes, it does. For FWA customers that want cellular as primary you get an unlimited data access SIM for the Cradlepoint device. The prices are based on speed tier rate limits instead of data limits. Verizon does have un-rate limited options, but those have a data cap.

Yes, Cradlepoint supports QCI values through differentiated services code point (DSCP) markings. Cradlepoint supports 1–9 and enhanced QCI values 65.66.69 and 70 on Cradlepoint 5GB modems.

The following table lists the typically mapped DSCP values.