One of the hot topics among the electronics industry is the continued development of wireless connectivity from today’s 4G standard to 5G. From the original analog cellular 1G to LTE 4G, every generation of wireless has been defined not only by higher data speeds but by different air interfaces or encoding patterns, which have rendered the previous generations incompatible and ultimately obsolete. Much of the incoming 5G technology is still under development, pending final approval by the FCC.

We can expect further improvements in overall data capacity with decreased latency, the lag between point-to-point communications. 5G will operate across a broader spectrum of frequencies, from the old analog TV channels through EHF mm waves capable of accommodating higher mobile bandwidth. Where 4G downloads now top out at about 1 gigabit per second, 5G transfer rates will be as much as 100x faster in urban areas, essentially today’s fiber-optic data speeds, minus the fiber. [1]

Today’s IoT Networked World

The imminent migration to 5G is necessary to accommodate the ever-growing number of mobile devices and their increasing demand for streaming video and other high-bandwidth content from phones and tablets to virtual reality headsets. It’ll also be the cornerstone networking technology for the internet of things (IoT), everyday household appliances from smart TVs to thermostats and security systems.

5G will enable more devices to use smaller, cheaper low-power transmitters and embedded sensors. Beyond those home appliances, this will also largely enable the next wave of smart vehicles and expand the application of networked Industrial IoT or Industry 4.0 equipment in manufacturing and other industrial environments. While 5G promises exponentially higher data speeds, the likely trade-off will be radically different hardware infrastructure.

Transmission across the highest EHF channels will require more line-of-sight connections than the current cell towers dot our landscape. High-density wireless environments, such as office buildings, corporate campuses, and airports will require a higher number of mini-cells, roughly the size of home routers or even smoke alarms. This means that telecom equipment manufacturers need to set their sights on meeting the OEM demands to deliver new back-end equipment as 5G eventually dominates the marketplace.

As the FCC continues to finalize the new 5G standards, wireless carriers are already conducting initial network testing in select markets. While 4G certainly won’t disappear overnight, formal deployment of 5G is expected around 2018, with a full US rollout by 2020. We look forward to further collaborating with our telecom clients to meeting the growing hardware needs to stay ahead of the 5G curve.

Backed by 40 Years of Expertise

We contribute our 40 years of design and manufacturing expertise spanning multiple diverse markets. We look forward to discussing how we can deliver world-class products for OEMs across the globe. We understand our home Indian market, familiar with its vast regulatory and selling environments. We foster growth opportunities within India through our strong technology incubation ecosystem. We also assist global OEMs in entering the Indian market by leveraging the local supply chain and favorable operating environments for cost reductions.

Our flagship Chennai location opened in 2006 and lies within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for electronics manufacturing, offering economic incentives for imports and exports. This primary facility is within 90 minutes of the Chennai seaport and 20 minutes to the international airport. Additional road and rail connectivity links to the rest of India and beyond and infrastructure advantages with faster import and export clearances. We also have labor force flexibility, both technical and manual, to scale to demand rapidly.

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