Wireless 5G IP Addresses
- (MIT Ray and Maria Stata Center, Jenny Fowter)
- Overview
5G networks use a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum, which means the IP addresses of devices connected to these networks can be assigned dynamically.
After the 5G cellular interface is dialed into the operator's network, the operator automatically assigns an IP address to the interface.
The 5G mobile router then acts as a NAT gateway, translating these devices to their 5G LAN IP addresses for communication. Therefore, when a 5G LAN is configured in internal forwarding mode and a mobile router is being used, visibility to devices behind the 5G mobile router is lost.
5G connections use the same network backbone as 4G/LTE connections. The difference between 5G and 4G/LTE is speed. 5G is much faster than 4G, with speeds of up to 20 Gbps and an average speed of 100 Mbps. 5G has more capacity than 4G/LTE.
- 5G IP Addresses
5G is a wireless technology that connects devices to the internet. Devices that connect to 5G have IP addresses, but 5G itself does not. IP addresses are used to identify and route data between devices on the internet.
5G technology does not have an IP address in the traditional sense. Instead, it uses a different addressing scheme called an Ethernet MAC address or Media Access Control (MAC) address. These addresses are used to identify devices on the local network and are different from IP addresses.
When a 5G device connects to a 5G LAN, it broadcasts a DHCP request. The DHCP server on the corporate LAN then assigns the device an IP address and other network service information. When a 5G cellular interface dials up to a carrier network, the carrier automatically assigns an IP address to the interface.
5G LAN systems are designed to use existing internal enterprise DHCP systems. This means that IP addressing and network operation are consistent across the entire enterprise LAN.
IPv6 addressing has been proposed to support 5G networking. However, IPv4 addressing will still be used concurrently with IPv6 addressing until networks become fully IPv6 based.
[More to come ...]
