There has been a great deal of enthusiasm in recent years over the advent of 5G.  Now that it has fully arrived, with communications service providers (CSPs) actively investing in radio and core network upgrades, we are seeing that the 5G revolution is indeed real. So, what’s driving this revolution? 

 As a brief primer, 5G requirements are defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) from which the 3GPP creates specifications for how communications networks will change. These requirements fall into three families of use cases, also known as service categories, called enhanced mobile broadband (EMBB); massive machine type communications (MMTC/massive IoT); and ultra-reliable, low latency communications (URLLC). Each respectively brings about an increase in data rates and more connected devices, along with a reduction in latency when compared to the current mobility standard. These significantly increased requirements are driving fundamental changes in the communications network architecture, which has a profound impact on CSP business models and the types of services CSPs are able to provide to their customers.