5G Infrastructure: Fiber, Small Cells & Fixed Wireless
The step from 3G to 4G was dramatic, and 5G technology is poised to make even more significant changes to industries ranging from healthcare to transportation. Infrastructure partners, solutions providers, civic leaders and carriers all have a stake in a seamless design of the integrated 5G network. This educational track focuses on the integrated solutions – mobile, fixed and fiber – that are required meet the capacity, connectivity and service requirements of a new wave of ultra-low latency applications.
Edge Computing: Intelligent & Distributed
Network Infrastructures around the world are going through a massive transformation to keep up with the anticipated proliferation of Internet of Things and to enable 5G services. Understanding the opportunities in a new converged communications/computing infrastructure is critical to any organization in mobile, IT and 5G. Architecting greater computing power at the edge of a network rather than in a cloud or central datacenter is a key enabler of advanced, ultra low-latency applications like connected vehicles, virtual reality, machine learning, Industrial IoT and more. 5G and edge are also deeply connected at the antenna level, and that will mean big changes for tower owners, site developers, cloud services, and datacenters alike.
Private Enterprise LTE Networks
One of the most significant developments in wireless today is the emergence of the Private Enterprise LTE network. Thanks to changes in the policy framework and new software-based solutions, enterprises can control their own mobile infrastructure and have new opportunities that did not exist before. These include increased mobility, access to neutral host networks for enterprises, improved security and quality of service, and more. This educational track focuses on the business models, technology options and benefits to incorporating LTE in shared and unlicensed spectrum to offer fast and reliable services to new support new services and applications, and keep connected to a denser, more diverse set of devices with wildly different performance requirements.
Towers and Macro Sites 2.0
As the wireless industry transitions to 5G and more customer segments emerge, the practical realities of how sites are developed, deployed, capitalized and managed is shifting. Now, infrastructure owners are faced with five different points of presence: macro sites, small cells, distributed network systems, fiber and highly secure radio access points. What’s more, network nodes are becoming smaller; are being deployed in a higher density architecture and are far more numerous. As a result, carriers and their infrastructure partners are faced with adapting to the new network requirements with new tools, new processes and new solutions to meet the new network needs. This series of educational sessions explores the roadmap for the wireless infrastructure industry to continue to provide the essential expertise and vital infrastructure. From new tower builds to commercial buildings to edge data centers—tower owners have a wealth of new opportunities and challenges in the decade to come.
Connected Buildings & Venues: Indoor Networks
Property Tech is an important new area for commercial MTU, MXU, campus, industrial, public venue owners and operators. With 80% or more of the mobile traffic coming from indoor locations, property owners, property management and enterprises are becoming more active in owning, controlling and managing wireless infrastructure to ensure the needs of employees, tenants and guests are met with coverage and capacity. Automation, IoT, public safety and disaster resilience are equally important. This educational track addresses the business shift, the technology and the expertise required to solve indoor connectivity challenges and enable decision-makers to take an active role in the on-premise connectivity infrastructure, from ownership to operations.
Property owners will learn how Fiber and fiber-like wireless connectivity will create new opportunities and new value in the real estate business.
5G Cities: Connecting Autos, People and Things
The Smart City has been the subject of considerable interest, not to mention hype, over the past five years. And yet, large-scale municipal-based IoT deployments have not yet materialized. 5G integrated with infrastructure, buildings, appliances, vehicles and products will deliver unprecedented benefits for citizens across transport, healthcare, energy, commerce and leisure. The high bandwidth and speed of 5G will support services such as ultra-high definition video streaming, large file downloads and virtual reality applications. This educational track shifts the narrative for civic leaders to explore a range of connectivity technologies and benefits that allow important cost savings through smart grids, smart street lights, and smart bins, as well as enable safer transportation and improved health.
NB IoT Deployment & Applications
Built on the 3GPP standard, NB-IoT is a low power, wide area network (LPWAN) LTE-Advanced technology that provides a pathway to 5G IoT and offers many comparable benefits like low power usage, long battery life and low device cost. T-Mobile was one of the first mobile carriers to trail NB-IoT in the U.S., while DISH and others have announced similar NB-IoT plans. New to the wireless infrastructure community, NB-IoT is ideal for smart applications that can track high value assets, optimize utilization of equipment in the field and help ensure safety and compliance in fleet management, waste management, energy utility monitoring and many other industrial sectors. This educational track focuses on the technology variations with NB-IoT, and the opportunities to deploy and manage networks in partnership with mobile operators, municipal government, enterprises and other industry segments.
