5G通信技術的影響是全球性的，其新功能橫跨多個行業，如能源生產、交通、專業服務、採礦和醫療等。然而，要實現5G網絡的功能，需要分配新的頻譜，尤其是在24 GHz以上的高頻頻段，即毫米波。毫米波頻譜支持5G將給世界各地的個人、企業和政府帶來深遠的影響，為了更深入地分析毫米波 5G的影響，以應對具體的挑戰，本期智芯研海外版報結合撒哈拉以南的非洲，南亞、東南亞和太平洋島嶼，拉丁美洲和加勒比地區，區域聯邦的具體案例分析，深度挖掘5G毫米波在全球潛在影響的深度和廣度。
本文主要析5G毫米波在撒哈拉以南的非洲潛在的社會經濟影響。非洲是我國共建「一帶一路」的歷史和自然延伸，也是「一帶一路」國際合作不可或缺的重要組成部分。非洲在「數字化」方面落後，但是5G時代可能將不會如此。日前，非洲的摩洛哥在因為華為的支持而成為全世界第一個完全由5G網絡覆蓋的國家。
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the roll-out of mobile networks andservices has allowed communities to leapfrog wired infrastructure and embracethe Information Age much quicker and more cost effectively than in manydeveloped countries. Building on earlier generations, 5G brings newcapabilities for mobile networks to contribute to and enable economic growth.5G, coupled with mmWave spectrum, opens up the potential for low-latency,data-intensive applications that can provide unique solutions to challengesfacing countries in the region. This section focuses on two particular caseswhere mmWave 5G applications can significantly impact the region in themedium-term. The first case considers applications in transport logisticsinfrastructure, and the second examines the mining and hydrocarbon industries.
This is not to say that transport infrastructure and extractiveindustries are the only cases where mmWave 5G applications will be deployed orbe impactful in the region. Quite the contrary, across industries, mmWave 5G isexpected to contribute $5.2 billion in GDP and $970 million in tax revenue(Figure 1). This contribution is forecasted to impact a wide variety ofindustries and use cases. In a practical sense, mmWave 5G applications will bedeployed and used in various ways, which in turn will impact multiple industryverticals as shown in the illustrative case studies considered below.
1. Sub-Saharan Africa,Case Study #1: Smart transportation logistics hubs
This case study examines how mmWave 5G will impact transportlogistics infrastructure, such as in-land transport hubs and seaports. Theapplication of several mmWave 5G uses cases will be considered in the contextof smart infrastructure, including next-generation broadband for transport,remote object manipulation, and high-speed broadband to the office. Certainindustries may be particularly impacted by these mmWave 5G applications, beyondthe direct benefits to trade. For instance, manufacturing, mining, agriculture,and other sectors will see lower transport costs.
Africa has 38 countries with a coastline and over 50 portshandling container and other types of cargo. More than 90% of trade to and fromAfrica is by sea. The volume of trafficin and out of Sub-Saharan Africa has been increasing average annual rate of 3.6% from 2011-2017,demonstrating the growing trade volumes handled in the country. This growthrate is at a similar pace to average GDP annual growth rate, which was 3.5%over the same period (Figure 2). Inaddition, the remaining landlocked African countries are served indirectly by thesecoastal seaports and have various forms of inland transportation hubs. Theseinland logistics hubs are also referred to as 「dry ports」 andlink various modes of transport to seaports in order to deliver cargo fromoverseas destinations to inland destinations, and vice versa.
Throughput at sea and dry ports is a significant component ofincremental growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to a recent study by PwC,improving seaport performance by 25% could reduce the price of imported goodsin the region by $3.2 billion annually and add $2.6 billion to the value ofexports. This would add at least $510 million per annum to GDP growth inSub-Saharan Africa, a 2% increase in GDP.
For landlocked countries in the region transport logistics presentdifferent challenges than for coastal countries and the need to increase speedand reduce costs in the supply chain is arguably even more important. For thesecountries, dry ports demonstrably reduce transport costs, mitigate trafficjams, accelerate customs clearance, and create virtuous circles of transportinfrastructure development. Recent dry port construction and openings includethose in Dosso and Niamey in Niger, Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, and Kigaliin Rwanda. In addition, recent improvements to the Walvis Bay port in Namibiahave provided additional logistical support so that Botswana, Zambia, andZimbabwe authorities can process and ship goods directly at the facility.Figure 3 shows a snapshot of the main transportation and logistics infrastructurein the region, including railway connections, together with 10 key hub ports,and recent dry port constructions.
Expanding overall infrastructure is key to improving portperformance. For seaports, this means increasing draught and crane sizes. Forboth seaports and dry ports, road construction, and expanded warehousingfacilities are essential. However, beyond the expansion of capacity, loweringcosts in the supply chain is also important. Figure 4 illustrates how mmWave 5Gapplications can lower costs and improve performance of future sea or dry portenvironments.
Rapid loading and offloading cargo to and from ships, trucks, andrailway cars is a critical driver of port performance. Remote objectmanipulation enabled by mmWave 5G connections to a control centre will allowcoordination of the increasingly complex smart cranes that lift containers.This interaction requires a high level of precision, involving demandingnetwork requirements in terms of low latency, reliability, and user experiencedata rate. These mmWave 5G-based innovations will increase efficiency and lowerthe hazards related to cargo loading and unloading.
Coordinating the activity of multiple types of transport—shipping,road, and rail—is an increasing challenge for multi-modal logistical hubs.Connecting these varied transport vehicles to internal distribution fleets andinfrastructure within the port would lower the costs of processing and movinggoods and increase port throughput. Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communicationssystems will allow connected vehicle to exchange high-definition dynamic mapinformation between transport vehicles, roadside units, and logistics managers.Thus, vehicles will effectively navigate themselves through the complex andchanging port environment to ensure containers are brought to the correctlocation for loading and shipping.
Similarly, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications will improveback-of-port operations by enabling coordinated warehousing and transportwithin the port facility. Connected vehicles will depend heavily on reliabletransport communications due to the high volume of data to be exchanged, suchas in search of cargo databases, label interpretation, traffic management, andin communication with infrastructure for loading and storing conditions. mmWave5G will also improve safety conditions in this connected environment byenabling ultra-low latency for control and warning signals. mmWave 5G willfurther allow high-throughput indoor data speeds without expensive cabling. Itwill also support high-capacity, short-distance backhaul to link portfacilities to the public network in the absence of fibre links. Through theseapplications, mmWave 5G will be instrumental in the rapid, inexpensive roll-outof super-fast connectivity solutions that forms a communications base for theport facilities.
Together, these mmWave 5G applications represent multiple usecases within the smart sea and dry port ecosystem, benefiting multipleverticals by delivering the integrated high-speed, low-latency communicationsnecessary for automating numerous logistics activities. Further, this createspass-through benefits to all verticals importing and exporting goods, andconsequently, to the rest of the economy.
2. Sub-Saharan AfricaCase Study #2: Extractive industries
This case study shows how mmWave 5G applications can impact theextractive industry (i.e. mining and hydrocarbon production), which are amongthe highest contributors to GDP in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. SeveralmmWave 5G use cases apply to the mining and hydrocarbon industries, namelyindustrial automation, next-generation broadband to transport, and remoteobject manipulation, as well as broadband to the office.
The overwhelming majority of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa areclassified as resource-rich in terms of hydrocarbons (e.g. oil and natural gas)and minerals (e.g. gold, copper, and iron ore (see Figure 5).
The nature of commodity markets—subject to highly fluctuatingprices—and the reliance on one or two commodities make these countriesparticularly susceptible to boom-and-bust economic cycles.
Historically, these industries have been at the forefront of industrial automation for afew reasons. First, the nature of the extraction of non-renewable resourcesforces technological innovation, as easily accessible sources are quicklyexhausted and increasingly costly and dangerous locations are targeted. Second,mining and hydrocarbon producing companies face increasingly stringentenvironmental and labour regulations to keep workers safe in remote andchallenging conditions. Finally, the production of these commodities tends toinvolve high fixed costs and lengthy start-up times for developing newoperations. Cost efficiency becomes critical to increasing productionflexibility to protect profitability.
Beyond these considerations, more advanced industrial coordinationand mechanisation may be a critical factor in the long-sought objective ofmoving local extraction companies down the value chain—expandingtheir role from simple extract on to more complex processing of the commodityinto an end product. Figure 6 depicts an extractive industry site, enabled withmmWave 5G applications, to achieve the objectives of lowering costs andimproving safety.
Here, as in a port facility, mmWave 5G could provideshort-distance, high-throughput transmission links without the cost ofdeploying fibre or another cabling in indoor (operational control centres) oroutdoor environments (fixed-wireless access to the public network or movinghotspots). However, the most impactful applications would be moreindustry-specific. For example, on-site processing facilities could be run andmonitored remotely, lowering operational costs. Extensive and sophisticatedunderground monitoring systems could be supported with surface connectivity totransmit information back to control centres for analysis and assessment.
New sites can be more cheaply and safely explored through smartand remotely controlled exploration vehicles. Similarly, dangerous extractionactivities involving blasting, digging or crushing could be carried out throughremote operation of machinery, given the level of precision made possible bythe reliable low latency and data rate speeds available with mmWave 5G.
V2X communications will enable coordinated interaction betweenextraction vehicles, loading/off-loading equipment and transport vehicles. Incontrast to remote monitoring and manipulation, this interaction will entailhuge amounts of wireless data exchange for coordinated positioning trafficmanagement and ultra-low latency for control and warning signals.
mmWave 5G applications can potentially make extraction activitiesin the mining and manufacturing verticals more cost effiective and safer byleveraging the use cases of connectivity, remote object manipulation formachinery and next-generation transport connectivity, among others.
……未完待續……
免責聲明：本文內容根據GSMA相關報告整理，著作權歸作者所有。本文任何之觀點，皆為交流探討之用，不構成任何投資建議，也不代表本公眾號的立場。如果有任何異議，歡迎聯繫國際第三代半導體眾聯空間。
5G通信用GaN射頻產業發展報告
欲購買紙質版本報告
敬請關註：微信公眾號 casazlkj