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Operator asks who will build the network that provides 5G coverage for connected car services.
3UK on Wednesday questioned the need for, and practicalities of, deploying 5G networks that can deliver latency as low as 1 millisecond.
1 millisecond latency is one of the more eyebrow-raising 5G capabilities being bandied about.
Proponents claim that 1 millisecond latency is necessary to provide real-time and mission-critical services, such as connected car and augmented reality services. Meanwhile, critics question the feasibility and necessity of deploying networks that can achieve latency as low as 1 millisecond.
"What kind of service will need 1 millisecond?" asked Erol Hepsaydir, head of RAN, device strategy, and architecture at 3UK, during a panel session at Total Telecom Congress in London.
He suggested that perhaps remote surgery might require 1 millisecond, but then again, "if I’m undergoing remote surgery, I want fibre. I wouldn’t lie there waiting for 5G to fix my problem."
The connected car and automated driving might require extremely low network latency in order to avoid nasty accidents, but again, it throws up all manner of practical problems.
1 millisecond for connected vehicles "may work in urban areas, but what happens in rural areas?" Hepsaydir said. "Who is going to build a 5G network that can provide that sort of latency in rural areas, or when cars are travelling on a motorway?"
