Let’s get to the point, WHAT’S 5G IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS? 

Well The G stands for “Generation” first of all hence the “5G - 5th generation of mobile networks”. It is the newest global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks with the current adaption of over 70 countries. Role of 5G is to connect everyone with everything. It is designed in such a way that it ergonomically connects humans to different devices and even machines. 

Some simple key pointers from our experts: 
1. 5G is a wireless technology and over 70 countries are currently using it.
2. Deliverability - more than “1 GBPS (Giga Bites per second)” peak data speeds.
3. Ultra-low latency (a computer network that is optimized to process a very high volume of data packets with an extraordinarily low tolerance for delay or latency. These networks are designed to support real-time access and response to rapidly changing data) 
4. Higher Reliability.
5. Ultra network capacity.
6. Higher availability rate.
7. Improved user experience. 

Let’s have some more information about the evolution of 5G shall we,  

1G	2G	3G	4G	5G
1980s: 1G  delivered analog voice.	Early 1990s: 2G introduced digital voice (e.g. CDMA-Code Division Multiple Access).	Early 2000s: 3G brought mobile data (e.g. CDMA2000).	2010s: 4G LTE ushered in the era of mobile broadband.	With development started in 2016, This newest global wireless standard shocked everyone with its connectivity speed being over 35 times faster than 4G. The last recorded max speed of 5G was aimed at fast as 35.46 Gbps currently. 5G will impact every industry, making safer transportation, remote healthcare, precision agriculture, digitized logistics — and more — a reality.

Now let’s compare the features of 5G and the previously existing generations of telecommunication: 

FEATURES	1G	2G	3G	4G	5G
Start/Development	1970/1984	1970/1984	1990/2002	2000/2010	2010/2015
Technology	AMPS, NMT, TACS	GSM	WCDMA	LTE, WiMax	MIMO, mm Waves
Frequency	30 KHz	1.8 Ghz	1.6 - 2 GHz	2 - 8 GHz	3 - 30 Ghz
Bandwidth	2 kbps	14.4 - 64 kbps	2 Mbps	2000 Mbps to 1 Gbps	1 Gbps and higher
Access System	FDMA	TDMA/CDMA	CDMA	CDMA	OFDM/BDMA
Core Network	PSTN	PSTN	Packet Network	Internet	Internet

Did you know that 5G is based on OFDM and NR air interface ……, ever hear about OFDM?  

OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing) is a method of modulating a digital signal across several different channels to reduce interference. 5G NR (“New radio”) air interface means, that the air interface, or access mode, is the communication link between the two stations in mobile or wireless communication. The air interface involves both the physical and data link layers of the OSI model for a connection. 5G uses 5G NR air interface alongside OFDM principles. 5G also uses wider bandwidth technologies such as sub-6 GHz and mmWave (mmWave specifically refers to the radio spectrum between 24GHz and 100GHz).

All in all, these technologies and methods get us a higher degree of flexibility and scalability. Meaning more number of people can access the 5G for connectivity to a variety of different use cases. 

How is 5G going to affect normal life? 

5G is and going to transform our lives, by faster download speeds, minimum delays, near-instant access to cloud services, multiplayer cloud gaming, shopping with augmented reality, real-time video translation and collaboration and more capacity for the connectivity of billions of devices—especially in the areas of virtual reality (VR), the IoT, and artificial intelligence (AI). 

Do you wonder which company owns this 5G technology?

Well the answer is “no one”. Neither any company nor a single individual owns 5G technology itself. But there have been several companies within the mobile ecosystem that have been contributing to bring life to 5G. Fact “The first 5G commercial services were launched in South Korea in December 2018 and The first nation to adopt 5G on a large scale was again South Korea, in April 2019” 

Let’s understand 5G with Patent Filing Trends 

Now that we are clear on what’s what, let’s hear about; WHAT DO THE TRENDS SAY ABOUT 5G PATENTS – IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PATENT FILING HERE? 

Well we’re going to let the data speak for itself. 

 

From the trends recorded, “Huawei” (a Tech giant from China) is in lead for holding maximum number of 5G technology patent families worldwide, with ownership of over 5600 5G patent families. Another company names “Qualcomm Incorporated” (an American Tech giant) ranks second by ownership of 4133 patent families. And these numbers are only rising with the other tech players like LG, Intel, Google, etc stepping into the market aggressively.  

Also, See what a report published by USPTO says: 

A new report published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), “Patenting Activity among 5G Technology Developers,” concludes that there is global competition in 5G innovation, with no one company dominating the field. 

“5G and later-generation wireless communications technologies will touch every aspect of the lives of U.S. workers and businesses and help close the digital divide,” said United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The Department of Commerce fully supports investments and American leadership in advanced wireless research, including 5G technologies.” 

And experts say that since the number of countries adapting 5G are increasing with more and more companies joining the market, the number of patents are only going to increase, there is no doubt about it. 

We at VLS (Virtue Legal Services) have an experienced, skilled and innovative team who are actively finding results which you are looking for in the world of 5G and telecommunications, Be it research, filling, drafting, we provide all the services at competitive pricing as well. So why wait, connect with us.