The route for 5G begins to be drawn in Ecuador

Ecuadornews:

The new technology will allow the more stable connection of everyday machines, such as a coffee machine, to the Internet. The Government and the telephone companies begin to prepare.

Ecuador also begins its career by 5G, the next generation of telecommunications technology.

But what will the 5G technology or fifth generation of mobile telephony technology imply? The basic concept points out that 5G is 20 times faster than 4G, the most advanced technology that is also available in the country.

That is, in theory, connections with 5G will reach a maximum speed of 20 gigabytes per second. This means that mobile games will be faster and videos almost instantaneous, assured EXPRESO José Otero, director for Latin America and the Caribbean of 5G Americas.

In most countries it will not be launched before next year, but South Korea hopes to do so this year. China also wants to offer it in 2019.

In the case of Latin America, according to Otero, Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Brazil seek to deploy technology.

What happens in Ecuador? The Ministry of Telecommunications (Mintel) assured this newspaper that it is preparing the Spectrum Policy, which will be socialized with the industry at the end of this month and that establishes a roadmap for the deployment of future 5G networks, and possible allocation of new frequencies in the short term.

The Government already has planned what will be the radioelectric spectrum where the 5G network will be deployed. In general terms, the spectrum is a set of bands, that is, large highways for telecommunications, which make possible the transmission of images, sound and data.

The Mintel said that for the 5G there are 2.5 gigahertz (GHz) bands completely cleared, and 3.5 GHz as a project for its release (clearing and cleaning) to be able to assign it later to telephone companies.

“The latter (3.5GHz) is of vital importance, as it is considered necessary for the transition between 4G to 5G,” the ministry added.

When would this new technology be available in Ecuador? At the moment, the dates for the 5G start-up are not defined as such, said Mintel, because it depends on the release and cleanup of the 3.5GHz band, and the definitions of the World Radiocommunication Conference of 2019 for the identification of other bands (millimeter waves) for 5G.

After that, the spectrum map will be updated, in order to have a time horizon for testing and implementation of technology.

Otero says that for the service in Latin America to become massive, it will have to wait for four to five years.

The telephone companies that operate in the country also begin to prepare. Through email, Claro assured that he is aware that currently the authorities are working on a policy of allocation and use of frequencies to generate the necessary regulatory conditions for a rapid deployment of 5G.

“Claro prepares its networks for the implementation of the new 5G technology”. According to Claro, the import release will be required for new equipment, terminals and sensors, which are beginning to be manufactured in the world.

The telephone company explained that the 5G maximizes the market potential for new applications services for the Internet of Things, a concept that refers to a digital interconnection of everyday objects with the Internet: from a coffee machine, to prepare coffee remotely through cellular to complex processes, applicable to medicine, commerce, agro-industry, transport, etc.

While Movistar assured EXPRESO that the company, worldwide, performs several tests of this technology. “We are preparing to develop these technologies. Its deployment will always be gradual, depending on market conditions, as well as the regulatory and political frameworks of the countries where we are present, “the company statement said.

Last February, Movistar presented at the Mobile World Congress a novel way of broadcasting and making television with 5G, which will allow a professional information coverage of any event in real time and with high video quality.

The National Telecommunications Corporation (CNT) assured that it is working with its different suppliers to verify the trend of the industry and the 5G market worldwide, as well as the technical requirements to prepare the CNT network for 5G technology , due to the great speeds that are required.

The concession of the spectrum for the 5G network will also represent revenues for the Ecuadorian State. In February 2015, the Government granted spectrum, until 2023, for the 4G network and the expansion of 3G. Claro and Movistar paid 330 million dollars.

Otero said that, at this moment, the amount of spectrum that Ecuador has concessioned to telephone companies, according to the recommendations of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), is not enough for a “healthy” development. of cellular telephony on a national scale.

The development of 5G confronts EE. UU and China

n The Cold War of the 21st century is a dispute over the control of 5G technology, the fifth generation of broadband that will allow an interconnection between machines and people like never before seen in the world.

5G is the first network built to serve sensors, robots, autonomous vehicles and other devices that will continuously feed large amounts of data to each other. Something that will allow factories, shops, large buildings and even entire cities to operate with less human intervention in daily operations. It will also allow greater use of virtual reality and artificial intelligence tools.

In the White House of Donald Trump there is a conviction that there must be only one winner in this technological race. “The race for 5G is underway and the United States must win,” the president said in a recent speech. For months, the White House was working on an executive order that prohibits US companies from using Chinese-origin equipment in critical telecommunications networks.

Washington’s concern was growing as governments around the world begin to decide which equipment providers will build their 5G networks.

For example, the United Kingdom will veto China’s Huawei Technologies from all the central parts of its 5G network and will restrict access to non-core parts of the network, said a security source in the country, according to a Reuters report. (I)

Source: https://www.expreso.ec/actualidad/ruta-5g-trazarse-ecuador-comienzo-LN2825863