What are 5G centimeter wave and millimeter wave?
3GPP mentioned in the finalized 5G standard that 5G communications mainly use two communication frequency bands, namely the Sub-6 frequency band and the millimeter wave frequency band. Sub-6 frequency band refers to radio waves with frequencies between 450 MHz and 6GHz. It belongs to the low-to-medium frequency band. This frequency band is currently the key band promoted in our country and is commonly known as 5G centimeter wave technology. The millimeter wave band refers to radio waves with frequencies between 24GHz and 100GHz, which is a high-frequency band.
What is the difference between 5G centimeter waves and millimeter waves?
According to physical knowledge, the shorter the wavelength, the worse the penetration ability. Therefore, centimeter waves have stronger penetrating capabilities than millimeter waves. In layman’s terms, the signal of a 5G mobile phone using millimeter waves is easily blocked by houses, people, trees, etc., while the signal of a 5G mobile phone using centimeter waves is more stable.
However, millimeter waves have larger bandwidth and faster transmission speeds. Millimeter waves can reach a transmission speed of 20Gbit/s, while centimeter waves cannot. In addition, the current millimeter wave frequency band is also very clean and will not compete with other WIFI, Bluetooth and other signals for space.
5G centimeter wave and millimeter wave will exist in a complementary form in the future, and the 5G network we lay out will eventually be a combination of millimeter waves and centimeter waves.
The Current State of 5G Centimeter Wave and Millimeter Wave Technologies
At present, the effects of the 5G centimeter wave and millimeter wave have not met the public’s expectations. Which is the real 5G technology, centimeter wave, which was once selected by most countries in the world, and millimeter wave, which is gradually gaining attention?
Global 5G technology is dominated by 5G centimeter wave technology, and most operators have adopted 5G centimeter wave technology. This is because 5G millimeter wave deployment costs are lower and a 5G network with complete coverage can be built faster.
The United States is mainly promoting 5G millimeter wave technology. Analysis points out that this is because the U.S. military occupies the Sub-6 frequency band. At the same time, the United States hopes to obtain more 5G patents by developing 5G millimeter wave technology. Statistics at the beginning of 2020 show that there are only 5 companies in the world. The operators have adopted 5G millimeter wave technology, and four of them are all US operators. The United States has always maintained that Sub-6 millimeter wave is the real “true 5G” technology, especially Qualcomm’s 5G chips, which have always emphasized millimeter wave.
Ericsson and Nokia, two communication equipment manufacturers, expect U.S. operators to significantly increase their 5G network construction expenditures this year. The industry expects that these two operators will begin large-scale 5G network construction using 5G centimeter wave technology, which means that the United States is mainly promoting 5G millimeter wave technology. Wave technology is being marginalized.
U.S. operators began building 5G networks with 5G millimeter wave technology as early as 2018. After several years of development, U.S. operators seem unable to bear the high cost of 5G millimeter wave technology and the huge technical difficulties in building 5G networks using 5G millimeter wave. Today, the coverage of 5G networks in the United States is pitifully small, and American operators have little interest in continuing to use 5G millimeter wave technology to build 5G networks.
The 5G centimeter wave and millimeter wave Standards Battle
Many people know that the current conflicts between China and the United States originate from the 5G dispute, but they don’t know what the 5G dispute is about.
However, there are currently two future communication standards in the world, both of which are called 5G. The global smart device industry chain will always pay attention to the confrontation between the two standards until one party gains the advantage of user groups and industry chain, and the losing party will become The “compatible” standard means that the former standard will be everywhere, and the devices supporting the latter standard will also have the functions of the former. This possibility is unacceptable to the United States, not to mention that the advantage currently lies in “Chinese” 5G.
The first 5G standard focuses on centimeter waves below 6GHz. The main operating frequencies are 3GHz and 4GHz frequency bands. Huawei has a leading advantage in related technologies, so it is regarded as “Chinese” 5G; the second 5G standard focuses on For millimeter waves between 24 and 300 GHz, the leaders in this field are the United States, South Korea and Japan, that is, the United States and its small partners. The United States chose millimeter waves on the one hand because of its technical advantages, and on the other hand because most of the 3GHz and 4GHz spectrum are exclusive to the U.S. federal government, especially those widely used by the Department of Defense.
Military Implications of 5G Centimeter Wave and Millimeter Wave
The 5G technology ecosystem can revolutionize the U.S. Department of Defense’s operations, networks and information processes. For it, the greatest application potential of 5G lies in its potential impact on future wars or military networks. However, the strong rise of China’s 5G has brought serious potential risks to the future of the U.S. Department of Defense.
When the U.S. Department of Defense operates overseas in the future, the vast majority of its networks and systems will likely rely on 5G infrastructure. If China takes the lead in 5G infrastructure and systems, the U.S. Department of Defense’s future 5G ecosystem may be embedded with Chinese components. This is something the United States, which regards China as an imaginary enemy, does not want to see.
The battle for 5G is not about which country can build faster and better 5G, but a battle between two communication solutions and the choice of 5G centimeter wave and millimeter wave : Is the ultimate destination of 5G network millimeter wave or centimeter wave? It also determines whether China or the United States will win in the communications field in the next ten or even twenty years.