Convergence in 5G Networks and FTTx

More than ever, the age of digitalisation is expanding the number of exabytes to be transmitted by the communication media and the radio spectrum is expanding as the number of GB in mobile telephony increases: autonomous vehicles, internet of things (IoT), smart cities, etc. These are some of the new concepts that we are about to address, but what implications do all these things have on optical fibre?

Obviously, this medium is key to channeling all this amount of information. Safer, more trustworthy, and faster digital channels can only exist thanks to the optical transmission capacity of light. Optical fibre allows transmitting 8K technology, bandwidths of several GB and the jump towards 5G mobile telephony. This is called network convergence.

The future 5G network adds requirements on latency, bandwidth, data transmission rate and connectivity (amount of apparatuses connected), which means that implementing this network will multiply the current number of antennae necessary. These antennae, in turn, will have to be connected to the physical network by optical fibre rings, and the needs and demands will be greater in clearly urban environments.

If we think with in the current deployment of FTTx networks, we could largely cover the capillarity and penetration needed for the future topology of 5G network, both for macro cells (or sites) and particularly Small-Cells (small antennae located every 100 to 200 meters in all urban furnishings). And, so as to optimise transmission and limit the loss in small bending radii, necessary in all Small-Cells installations (traffic lights, street lamps, signs, stations, etc.), it is essential to use G.657-A2 type optical fibre.

Regarding the reduction in cost and investment of said convergence (by Comsoft - FTTH Conference 2019), it was estimated that with just a maximum of 7% more of investment in the current FTTx deployment we could obtain up to 96% savings in the future 5G network.