Low latency becomes increasingly important as the world moves towards 5G networks. The benefits will be felt by high-end devices even though common smartphone users won't see much of a difference. Operational efficiency and seamlessness.
There is a great deal of effort being put into robotic surgery and autonomous vehicles by CSPs and cloud providers.
What happened in the past:
In 5G, you can expect ultra-low-latency and high-speed Internet, as well as very high upload and download speeds. In comparison to 4G, this is the telco's USP. The system must also be upgraded in order to meet this requirement.
The new 5G network, as reported by Verizon, achieves a latency of 30 ms, which is greater than the 53 ms of the current 4G network- a 23 ms improvement.
Telecom operators' response to 5G network latency
That's great! In 5G, there is a rant about latency. Let's begin by understanding it.
Signal propagation time is the time it takes a signal to travel through a medium. A millisecond (ms) is a unit of measurement. Both positive and negative values are possible. Physically, a medium has latency.
I would like to put it even more simply- it is the time that passes between the sending and receiving of information.
Why is 5G so important?
There is no latency at all with 5G technology. Guess the improvement needed from 200 ms in 4G to 1 ms in 5G.
The only way telcos can reduce latency is by reducing hops between mobile devices and base stations, but that would mean spending more on network infrastructure and deploying more base stations closer to customers.
Their network design & pricing for 5G services will be heavily influenced by this.
5G network latency issues that telcos face
Network latency is a major concern for telcos. To upgrade their infrastructure from 4G to 5G, telcos first need to upgrade their entire network.
Due to its high speed (100X of 4G speed) and ability to handle more data, 5G will be faster than 4G.
In addition, telcos need to lower their costs while providing more data to meet the high demand for data.
In addition, telcos have to make sure that their customers have the best experience even when there is a network outage or crowds.
5G has rarely displayed a latency rate greater than 50 ms in several speed tests (including Ookla's).
The importance of latency in 5G for telcos?
A 5G network with low latency opens up a lot of new possibilities, especially for services that need to respond quickly. Services with an immediate response, such as emergency services. Health care, telemedicine, AR/VR, and electric vehicles are examples.
Think about live gaming on your PC with your friends as an example.
We are only just beginning to explore some possible applications, at least in the coming months/years. A robotic surgical procedure or autonomous vehicle, for example, are discussed.
Local surgeons are much cheaper than remote surgeons operating high-end robotic devices. Again, the networks aren't fast enough for cars to communicate, so cars are able to communicate normally for now.
Fortunately, latencies can be reduced to appreciable levels with the right router. Your customers will experience smooth network performance & Skype calls if they are able to load the pages & processes quickly.
There is a strong correlation between latency and Internet interaction speed. To deliver the lowest latency rate, you must analyze and adapt to the line. By doing this, quality results could be delivered in a shorter period of time.
There are some businesses that can gain an edge, such as those run by manufacturers, construction companies, logistics companies, and transportation companies. Monitoring, identifying, and fixing technical issues can be done much before they negatively affect processes.
A solution is being developed for machines to solve the latency problem, not for humans. The difference between 40ms and 60ms cannot be experienced by humans, but by machines. A 10-ms difference can be detected quickly by devices used in time-critical communication.
Whatever innovative products or services make headlines next as the 5G use case, latency will be present. Now is the time to take into account its characteristics and implement an infrastructure that will be more productive.
In conclusion
Despite the fact that ultra-low-latency networks are yet to be fully defined, enterprises are working day in and day out to maximize their potential. In order to achieve this, the entire infrastructure needs to be changed. As part of their efforts to turn it into tactile internet, network companies are exploring human senses through it.
Echelon Edge is currently focused on achieving single-digit latency and providing the highest 5G network quality.
