The 5G Paradox: The Need for More Offloading Options in the Next-Generation Wireless Era

By WIA Team

This report explores the need for additional bandwidth and offloading techniques at the dawn of the fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications era. Even though 5G brings new spectrum to market, the sheer number of devices and connections that will proliferate from this game-changing technology will require continued offloading techniques from the macrocellular networks to bring the network closer to the end user, thereby making the macrocellular network operate efficiently. The paradox of 5G is that although it provides more bandwidth, it will also support so much more data usage that even more offload is required. Along with unlicensed Wi-Fi technology that uses the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies, newly available Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum will be required to handle the expected heavy demands from people and machines.

The 5G Paradox: The Need for More Offloading Options in the Next-Generation Wireless Era