Waiting for the 5G: when the world of the total connection will arrive in Argentina

South Korea, one of the most "connected" countries, launched the first national fifth generation mobile phone network many hours ago and almost at the same time, a phone company from this country has marketed the first smartphone with this coverage, called to revolutionize communications.

But all will not be rosy, the new technology still has to overcome the global challenges and hardships of our region, driven by a slowdown in the economy and with key questions yet to be defined, such as the badignment of radio frequency spectra, which will ultimately determine the maximum transmission rate.

Ámbito.com has spoken with José Otero, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of 5G Americas, a Washington-based nonprofit organization of leading service providers and manufacturers in the United States. telecommunications sector.

• JOURNALIST: In Argentina, we complain about 4G, does the same thing happen in other countries?

José Otero: I would like to begin with a clarification: regardless of the distance, what coverage or speed at 4G, the experience of some users will always be negative. This applies to all countries, both Argentina and the United States. There will always be complaints because it often depends on the operator, his market strategy and where he has most of his clients. It is clear that if 99% of your users are in the same place, you will focus your investment there and gradually invest in the remaining 1%.

• Q: Where is the problem?

OJ: Listen, the Argentinian experts say there is no 4G here, it's wrong. What happens is that one thing is what the technology promises and another is the inputs that have to be given to this technology to get good performance. Bolivia, for example, launched 4G before half of Europe, but in reality, the structure was still 3G and could not support a larger amount of data. It's like having a Wi-Fi connection in your home to connect to 1GB, but with a modem limited to 20 megabytes. For the 4G to work very well, and soon the 5G, it is not enough to have the networks. You must have enough spectrum. higher antenna density, etc., but the end user will have problems.

• Q: What will be the step ahead of the 5G?

OJ: The big advantage is that will support a million connected devices per km2 and will allow the Internet of Things. This will be the digitization of the economy: it will be possible to connect all types of devices, vehicles, and all household appliances. In the field, it will be possible to put a chip on each cow to monitor its location and health. This also reduces the latency level, which means that sending and receiving information takes much less time, which is very important in critical situations where life is at stake, such as a procedure surgical or in war zones. But also in finance, where the speed of execution, for example on the stock market, is essential.

• Q: What will be its impact?

OJ: According to estimates, by 2025, there will be five devices connected by the man, three of which badociated with the Internet of Things. But even these badyzes seem to have been exceeded because the numbers will be higher. You can now have 50 million people connected, but you will then move from a 50 million market to a 200 million market. Argentina will become the size of Brazil.

• Q: Where is 5G?

OJ: For the digital economy. The human being is not the main objective, the technology is designed for the productive sectors: transport, industry, companies. The appearance of new devices will be similar to the growth of applications with 3G. The most basic thing is a $ 30 device for the car that provides wifi, a crane service and warns you on the cell phone if the vehicle is lacking in naphtha or needs a battery charge. There will be connected devices for everything. It will be a radical paradigm shift in which the human being takes second place.

• Q: But in the end, this will benefit users

OJ: Yes, because in areas such as Patagonia or the north of the country, where population density did not justify the deployment of infrastructure, there will be a need to connect devices for mining or agricultural companies, and justifying a network for the return on investment can also connect people.

• Q: What measures should be adopted in the region?

OJ: At present, no one has a timetable for the attribution of published radio frequency spectra. In Latin America and the Caribbean, there are more than 30 markets and only 4 have a roadmap. The countries that know where they are going are Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica, the others are waiting to decide what they will do.. But if someone invests and does not know what he will have in the future, that investment will slow down. It is also necessary to take steps to support the adoption of the phone: some governments say they want everyone to have access to the latest technology and they impose import taxes of 400%.

• Q: What suggestion would you make to governments?

OJ: They are looking for a way to streamline the legal process of infrastructure licensing. Each municipality with its needs, with hundreds of municipalities, the processes become quite slow and expensive. Civil works, permits, evaluations are the most expensive of all.. The infrastructure only accounts for between 20% and 40% of the costs of installing a network.

• Q: When will 5G arrive in Argentina?

OJ: We still have five years left before people can use it in a mbadive way. Before this deadline, there may be a "big announcement", but it will certainly not be for the entire public.