5G and VoIP

5G For The Future of VoIP

It is predicted that 5G will give speeds up to twenty times faster than currently 4G LTE available. But again, speed is not the only benefit. With the use of 5G technology, there is a fundamental change in how bandwidth is used. With 4G, a set amount of bandwidth is assigned in each direction by a network provider and this is fixed regardless as to the traffic being handled. With 5G technology, this can be adjusted so if there is congestion in one direction, bandwidth can be used from the other direction using a combination of software and hardware. Businesses and consumers alike now demand high speeds as a necessity rather than a luxury. As more devices come online every year, this ability to adjust bandwidth allocation ‘on the fly’ and increase range and speed will become increasingly important.

5G will open up potential opportunities for organisations moving to VoIP as Internet speeds and bandwidth will no longer be a constraint. The way in which both employees and external contacts can communicate will be streamlined and higher quality audio will be available for many calls. The improved efficiency of bandwidth management may also reap benefits for companies who use video conferencing and group audio calling. It is likely that the number of possible participants will be increased, that the quality of video will be improved and buffering reduced. Data-heavy applications will also see improvements, with increased speed and reduced lag. 

5G’s Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture is based on the following three network categories: Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), Ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (uRLLC), and Massive machine-type communications (mMTC). Network slicing is the answer to common QoS VoIP issues. In order to guarantee high-quality VoIP communications, a network must provide low latency and enough bandwidth to transmit the relevant data between the two parties communicating. uRLLC will accomplish exactly this by guaranteeing that VoIP services receive the necessary resources they need.

5G offers a significant increase in speed and bandwidth, but it operates on a more limited range and requires higher frequency waves. These waves can only travel short distances through urban spaces, which means that existing infrastructures will need to be greatly expanded with supplementary transmitter masts to extend the service range, as well as to maintain consistent speeds in more densely populated areas.