[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7071\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHow 5G could democratise the telecoms industry\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut in order to build all of this we\u2019ll need the fifth generation of mobile internet \u2013 5G. This generation of wireless networks, which will not only connect people to people but also to objects, will offer a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.itu.int\/rec\/R-REC-M.2083-0-201509-I\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Erange of improvements\u003C\/a\u003E compared to today\u2019s 4G technology, including a potential tenfold decrease in latency (signal delay), a tenfold increase in the data speeds experienced by users and ultra-reliable coverage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy 2020, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/digital-single-market\/en\/policies\/5G\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eall EU countries should have some 5G services\u003C\/a\u003E, with uninterrupted coverage in urban areas and along main transport paths available by 2025.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut 5G won\u2019t only allow you to seamlessly watch Netflix on your phone; it will be the platform on which a new generation of disruptive technology is built. A self-driving car will, for example, need to make quick decisions on the road, and a fast internet connection with low latency is crucial for that.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd 5G might also shake up the mobile phone industry, particularly its infrastructure. Today, wireless mobile infrastructure is divided. Operators \u2013 the companies who sell mobile subscriptions \u2013 all build their own antennas and base stations. While operators do share infrastructure at times, most areas in Europe possess three to four base stations within a radius of a few hundred metres.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s hardly efficient. Enter neutral hosting, a new model of ownership that makes mobile infrastructure shared, increasing efficiency and lowering barriers to entry. And researchers across Europe are pushing the concept forward.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMunicipalities\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne such project is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/211066\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E5GCity\u003C\/a\u003E, led out of Barcelona, Spain, which is building systems for municipalities and local governments to own and operate 5G infrastructure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Network sharing among different operators has been here for some time now,\u2019 said Dr Shuaib Siddiqui, director of software networks at Fundaci\u00f3 i2CAT, a Barcelona research foundation, and deputy coordinator of 5GCity. \u2018But today we have to go beyond the conventional ways in which network sharing has been done. And 5G technology paves the way for new actors who simply own infrastructure and lease it to the operators.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo core aspects of 5G technology would specifically push neutral hosting forward \u2013 small cells and network slicing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENetwork slicing is a technique that will be key to 5G networks and will allow us to segment the network into several slices, each with different characteristics. For example, a 5G network might have one slice for smartphone use, which has high data speeds; one for IoT sensors, which might not have high data speeds but would allow low energy usage; and one for self-driving cars, which would have both high data speeds and low latency so that the car can make quick manoeuvres.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;5G technology paves the way for new actors who simply own infrastructure and lease it to the operators.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Shuaib Siddiqui, Director of Software Networks, i2CAT, Spain\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESlicing networks wouldn\u2019t only work for different use cases, but might also make sharing infrastructure easier by giving each operator their own slice of the network.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the same time, the amount of cell towers will need to increase dramatically for 5G. \u2018Current base stations cover very big geographical areas,\u2019 said Dr Siddiqui. \u2018But in 5G the idea is that you have smaller but more dense cell infrastructure, which means you need to deploy a lot more base stations, also called small cells. But if every operator needs to install that many base-stations around a city, it\u0027s going to get ugly really soon.\u2019 He adds that it can also be difficult to get permits for building this type of infrastructure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis means it might be more rational to switch ownership of infrastructure in certain spots to neutral parties, like municipalities, and for operators to just lease the base stations according to their needs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedieval\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne case in which 5GCity is testing this concept is the historical Italian city of Lucca. During the summer Lucca hosts a festival, meaning a lot of people gather in the downtown area and there\u2019s high demand for connectivity during a short period of time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u0027s a small town and its downtown is medieval, which means it\u0027s quite hard to dig things up and hang up new base stations,\u2019 explained Dr Siddiqui. \u2018Using neutral hosting, the municipality deployed new infrastructure, and with our platform they can slice it into different layers. Operators can then lease one of those slices during moments of high-usage, like during summer festivals.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022With 5G, network slicing could allow cities such as Lucca in Italy to provide reliable mobile phone connectivity at times of high demand. Image credit - Myrabella \/ Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 height=\u0022852\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/Lucca_sm.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022With 5G, network slicing could allow cities such as Lucca in Italy to provide reliable mobile phone connectivity at times of high demand. Image credit - Myrabella \/ Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EWith 5G, network slicing could allow cities such as Lucca in Italy to provide reliable mobile phone connectivity at times of high demand. Image credit - Myrabella \/ Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd that network has brought an added advantage to Lucca. The municipality is also developing a system where it keeps one slice for itself and uses it to build a system of smart cameras that automatically recognise overflowing garbage cans, so the municipality can promptly send crews to clean up the bins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWary\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, while the technology is advancing, operators are often still wary of neutral hosting. They like to own their infrastructure, so transferring it to third parties goes against the grain, and it\u2019s uncertain whether neutral hosts like municipalities would invest sufficient capital in infrastructure.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut some experts believe that neutral hosting would save money for the operators by lowering the finance required for sites while achieving the same level of coverage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat\u2019s more, neutral hosting could also shake up the industry if it is implemented on a large scale. Virtual mobile operators, which don\u2019t own any infrastructure but still offer their own mobile subscriptions, could become a more competitive possibility. And power over infrastructure could move from network operators to large owners of real estate, like municipalities, prompting operators to change how they do business, making them less owners of infrastructure and more pure service providers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENevertheless, for Dr Siddiqui, neutral hosting won\u2019t be taking over our networks anytime soon. In the face of operator hesitancy, the concept might mainly be limited to niche cases. \u2018It\u0027s not a done solution,\u2019 he said. \u2018But if we want to realise 5G in all its potential, neutral hosting will need to have its presence.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-gckr71-rplotzn4brzcyiwdcnunod8iehsnk3k-bww4\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-GCKr71_rPLOTzn4BrzcyiwDcnUnoD8iEhsNK3K_bWw4\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]