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Explainer | How will broad indoor coverage drive global 5G adoption?
- 5G data traffic originating from indoors is set to expand amid the wide use of work-from-home technologies and the digital transformation of industries
- Many target 5G use cases, such as industrial automation, utilities, transport, retail, remote health care and smart office, will be deployed inside buildings
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Recent advances in mobile technology have made black spots and dropped calls inside flats and buildings unacceptable for individual consumers and businesses, especially as more people work, study and get their entertainment online.
Indoor 4G coverage is currently sufficient to meet most consumers’ mobile broadband needs, but it has serious limitations in terms of latency, capacity and uniform experience for more bandwidth-hungry programs and large-scale industrial applications. Those requirements are expected to be met by expanded 5G indoor deployments, which can provide more seamless and high-quality wireless experience.
“Cities and governments are demanding excellent indoor coverage to enable a wide range of services for their citizens,” wrote analyst Caroline Gabriel, who leads research firm Analysys Mason’s operator investment strategies programme, in a recent report.
China, with the world’s largest smartphone market and biggest 5G infrastructure, sharpened its focus on indoor coverage earlier this year, as part of efforts to lead the world in rolling out next-generation mobile services.
In February, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) granted licences to China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom to jointly use the 3.3-gigahertz to 3.4GHz spectrum for 5G indoor coverage nationwide. The three state-owned carriers launched commercial 5G services in November of last year.
By comparison, infrastructure development in previous generations of mobile technology prioritised outdoor deployment, which often led to inconsistent network performance within buildings.
Bien has worked at the Post since 2000. He has served as Post Magazine's technology editor and Technology Post's deputy editor. He was a guest host on Tech Specs in TVB’s Money Magazine show. He won runner-up, Best News Writing, at the 2008 Hong Kong News Awards.
Che Pan joined the SCMP in 2020 and covers China tech news with a focus on semiconductors and AI. Previously, he covered China's economy at Caixin. Che graduated from Sciences Po Paris with a master degree in financial regulations and risk management.
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