ChannelVision Magazine

Mobile & Wireless Channel Vision | January - February, 2018 32 But it’s here, too, that the biggest business model questions for the upcoming 5G generation of wireless networks rear their heads. As the 5G standards process winds its way through the 3GPP, it has become clear that the first use case to see commercial applications will be enhanced mobile broadband, or EMBB, due in the second half of 2018. Here, operators are expecting to support all of the future-think services that we’ve heard about: 4K Ultra HD streaming to mobile de- vices, virtual and augmented reality, streamed 3D modeling and broadcast TV over mobile networks, as well as smart-home and office applications. The IoT initial use cases for 5G have convenient acronyms. They’re termed ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine type communications (mMTC), which are expected to have standards around them by the end of 2019, with commercial deployments not expected until 2020. As such, few operators are as yet conducting trials in these arenas, though all agree that industrial applica- tions will offer opportunities for innovation. URLLC will bring about new service capabilities for industrial stakeholders, thanks to the unprec- By Tara Seals 5G and the Mobile IoT T he rise of sensor networks and the internet of things (IoT) has the ability to move wireless operator business cases beyond what we know today – offering brand-new opportunities for channel partners to consult and provide solutions expertise to a whole new set of customers.