2018 Trend: The 5G Standard - MathWorks

The 5G wireless communication standard will provide significantly higher mobile broadband throughput with its enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) mode. While the details are not finalized, several techniques and features have been set as candidates for 3GPP LTE Release 15, the first version of the 5G standard scheduled to be released in March 2018.

Key elements of the new 5G standard include:

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  • new waveforms with improved out-of-band emissions (OOBE) enabling more efficient use of bandwidth resources
  • shorter slot durations, corresponding to increased subcarrier spacing, for increased signal bandwidth and shorter latency
  • new coding schemes such as LDPC for data and      polar codes for control information, for error correction and improved data rates
  • spatial channel models for operation at current (<6 GHz) and mmWave (>28 GHz) frequencies

To evaluate the performance of new 5G algorithms and architectures, engineers need to develop proof-of-concept prototypes and prepare the new designs for field trials.

Visualization is critical in field testing. Test engineers need to superimpose captured signals as well as performance and parameter data on a representation of a geographic map. 3D and pseudo-3D representations require latitude and longitude in the map. For some 5G applications such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and base station coverage analysis, engineers need to directly access map data with latitude, longitude, and building location information. If properly implemented, this visualization architecture enables engineers to comprehensively visualize system performance in real-world scenarios and demonstrate results to inform network planning decisions.


KarnofskyKen Karnofsky is the Senior Strategist for Signal Processing Applications at The MathWorks. Through his 20 years of experience, first with BBN Technologies and then with MathWorks, Ken has been involved in development and marketing of software for signal-processing and data-analysis technologies. Ken holds a degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.