To support a successful transition, 5G test practices are being developed and refined to ensure the consistent performance that end users demand. The collective tools, software, protocols, and practices required for all 5G deployment phases form the core of the emerging 5G testing field. Achieve optimized deployment with the VIAVI Test Guide to 5G Network Deployment.
What kinds of use cases will ultimately become killer apps on the 5G network? Without question, 5G will improve existing services and support expanded capabilities for the future. With reliable always-on connectivity, low latency, and substantial increases in bandwidth, tomorrow’s 5G networks will fundamentally transform the way that businesses and consumers interact with technology. Arguably the most important feature of 5G will be seamless connectivity across multiple device types and settings. The internet of things (IoT), along with other technologies at the edge of the network, will leverage this capability to enhance traditional markets and create entirely new ones. In fact, in a 2018 Gartner survey, 66% of companies surveyed plan to deploy 5G-based IoT applications by 2020.
Viavi Solutions gave the first demonstration of protocol analysis for the recently completed PCI Express® 5th generation data communication standard at the PCI-SIG Developers Conference, June 18-19. PCIe 5.0 – the next revision of the ubiquitous serial computer expansion bus standard – will double the capacity over a PCI Express link to 32 gigabits per second per unidirectional channel or greater than one terabit per second across the common 16-lane bidirectional slot interface. This acceleration of speed correlates with the performance demands of emerging bandwidth- and compute-intensive applications such as 400-Gigabit Ethernet, IoT, hyperscale and AI.
Paul Gowans, Wireless Strategy Director at Viavi Solutions, gives his take on 5G.
Higher fiber-count cables are being laid, leading to a challenge for installers and contractors: how to manage, track and report on the test and certification of the individual fibers and the cable as a whole. The questions are many: how far along are you in testing all the fibers? Did you already test this or that fiber? Did it pass or fail? Where is the test result so you can check? And how do you consolidate a bunch of individual test results into one certification report? Without a clear and simple view of where you are with your project (and a little bit of automation), you can waste a lot of time figuring these things out, potentially duplicating tests (accidentally testing the same fiber twice) or worse, missing a fiber and having to return to site (at your own cost if you’re a contractor) to fill in the missing data.
