Advancements in Wireless Networks: Transition from 5G to Beyond

Earlier generations of mobile technology experienced exponential growth in mobile customers, disruptive ecosystems like Internet of Things applications, and massive channel capacity needed to connect trillions of devices. 5G networks are a vital solution. 5G aims to provide 10 Gbps to a single user, as well as quality of service, increased spectrum efficiency, ultra-reliable communication, extended device battery life, massive machine-type communication (mMTC), and a 1000-fold capacity gain. Due to the heavy traffic volume and high resource consumption of 5G applications like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and wireless body area networks, there are major barriers to channel capacity and potential service disruptions for other users. New strategies are needed to increase spectral efficiency and channel capacity. This paper explores many major new wireless technologies that aim to increase spectral efficiency and channel capacity to meet growing user demands and improve network performance. This paper also examines these technologies’ benefits and research challenges. Massive Multi-Input Multi-Output (mMIMO) technology’s effectiveness and potential distinguish it for 5G and Beyond 5G (B5G) networks, offering a variety of benefits and characteristics. This article can also assist researchers who are conducting in-depth studies, as well as wireless network operators who aim to streamline the development of 5G and B5G networks.

I. Introduction

Fourth-generation long-term evolution networks (4G-LTE) and their extension, LTE-A, have achieved data rates of up to 100 MB/s for high mobility and 1 GB/s for low mobility, meeting International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMT-A) standards by using IP for all services. This deployment opened the door to worldwide networking. The tremendous surge in mobile data users in recent years indicates the need for faster and more reliable mobile internet [1]. In 2017, the WWRF predicted that 7 billion people, or nearly 1000 times the world’s population, would benefit from 7 trillion mobile products. Ericsson’s 2017 technical mobility report predicted 29 billion devices by 2020, including 18 billion IoT devices. Rangan et al. estimated 50 billion devices by 2020 and 5 zettabytes per month, with exponential growth by 2030 [2]. Internet of Things applications, including wearable artificial intelligence devices, big data, sensor networks, smart grids, smart homes, and smart cities, have increased the need for new mobile standards in the telecoms industry. Due to petabytes of data, gigabit-per-second (Gbps) internet speeds, and trillions of devices, next-generation wireless communication systems are needed. Academics, standardization bodies, and the telecom industry are collaborating to solve these problems and produce 5G communication standards. Both the physical and upper network layers need major changes and innovations to support these new technologies. The tactile internet relies on disruptive ecosystems such as M2M communications and IoT, or connected communities. European initiatives, such as METIS and 5GNOW, are leading 5G network activities. 5G NOW is mainly looking into non-orthogonal waveform-based physical layer designs to make existing systems less strict about orthogonality and synchronization. In addition to providing 10 Gbps to a single user and a 1000-fold capacity gain, the 5G network aims to provide quality-of-service, higher spectral efficiency (SE), ultra-reliable communication, longer device battery life, and affordable massive machine-type communication. Only 5G networks can overcome these challenges and provide enhanced terminals, low latency, and very reliable connectivity for a ubiquitous and infinite mobile experience. Mobile traffic on the 5G network strains the network infrastructure, making it one of its biggest challenges.