The lowdown: What is 5G?

In simple terms, 5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks. Its primary function is to provide communication services for industries and enhance mobile broadband services for consumers. The key capabilities of 5G are: more capacity, less lag time, ability to support an increased number of sensors and the ability to add guaranties and quality assurance on top of this. Add to this the flexibility inherent in network slicing, which is a virtual partitioning of network architectures to provide an exact fit to many customer bases. It’s easy to see that 5G is a game changer for industry. However, 5G does not happen on its own; it requires partnerships between industry domain experts, telecom operators and IT.

The potential: How Telenor works with 5G

5G has the potential to support several types of use-cases besides broadband services. Initial services commercially launched on 5G commonly include mobile broadband (smartphones) and fixed wireless access. At Telenor, we have (to date) launched these services in three countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden). With 5G we attain higher speeds and lower latencies compared with 4G. However, customer use in the initial phase is quite similar for 4G and 5G, as the basic behaviour would typically not change merely because a customer is using a 5G-capable smartphone. Still, heavy usage customers are typically the first to move to 5G, which results in overall consumption per customer being much greater on 5G.

In addition to broadband connectivity cases, we have engaged in more advanced use cases, such as media management (in collaboration with the Norwegian state broadcaster NRK), mission critical communication (in collaboration with Norwegian Defence), medical monitoring by sensors in bodies (in collaboration with Norwegian hospitals), supporting autonomous vessels (in collaboration with Yara). These are further explained by the results of the EU research project 5G-VINNI, which is managed by Telenor, along with 23 partners. These cases illustrate how 5G can be applied by other industries and to cases beyond broadband.

The expert angle: Our views on the 5G future

Patrick Waldemar, VP Head of NG Network Technology at Telenor Research

“At Telenor our purpose is empowering societies and connecting you to what matters most. There are a lot of future applications that, when powered by 5G, can deliver on that purpose. That means an exciting future for areas such as health care or transport. I am really excited to see how the future application of 5G will empower societies.”

Jarkko Laari, Director RAN and 5G programme owner at DNA

“We have only taken the very first steps of the 5G journey and already we can see the beneficial effect it has on services like fixed wireless access. 5G is uplifting wireless connectivity in many ways and will open doors for mobile technology to whole new application areas. I’m happy to be part of this development and eager to see where this path takes us in the upcoming years.”

Ingeborg Øfsthus, Chief Technology Officer, Telenor Norway

“Telenor Norway is rolling out 5G as part of the full modernisation of our entire mobile network. This represents the most efficient way to provide our customers with the ever-increasing data volumes they require and will also allow us to offer user-friendly mobile broadband solutions to homes and enterprises. 5G will enable the digitalisation of Norway through robust, low latency infrastructure that will support new ways of living and working.”