Over the past few years, the mobile communications phenomenon has, without a doubt, starkly redefined how people live their lives. Today, in the Middle East specifically, this rings truer than ever.

The mobile connectivity revolution began with 1G technology and picked up incredible momentum with 2G (and CDMA).

Now, 4G technology has reached the masses.

In fact, the GCC region currently boasts some of the highest LTE-capable smartphone penetration rates (more than 70 percent) in the world. And, with the imminent arrival of 5G, mobile broadband is set to grow even further in this part of the world.

The next generation of mobile communications promises a slew of colossal improvements including speeding up to 10 Gbit/s and ultra-low latency (around 1ms) — at only a small fraction of today’s cost for transmitting an HD movie.

Based on this, it is easy to understand why telecoms players are buzzing with excitement over the adoption of 5G technology.

For subscribers, however, the emergence of 5G raises the question: will these innovations and enhancements even be noticeable? Also, is 5G technology plug and play or does it require fundamental shifts in the way that mobile broadband networks are designed, built, and operated?

These two questions are closely connected.

Network operators will make billion dollar bets on 5G; still, without significant changes to the network infrastructure and operations, much of this investment will fail to deliver better value for customers.

The reality is, for the most part, the customer experience across today’s 3G, 3.5G, 3.75G, 4G, and 4.5G networks is poor.

Just imagine streaming a movie in 4K quality to a mobile device along a 10km route in any major city while sitting in the back of a taxi.

It will not be a better than miserable experience 99 percent of the time.

Customers are experiencing volatile speeds and disrupted data sessions on a large scale.

Very often customer mobile devices will still show “E” or “3G” icons in the display despite being solidly within 4G coverage.

So, why and how would rolling out 5G technology change this? The universal truth in the world of mobile communications is that a rich broadband experience is all about managing noise.

If networks do not deliver a high-quality radio signal then all the information literally drowns in noise, which results in a poor customer experience.

From a customer’s point of view, a high-quality radio signal not only means greater speeds but also longer battery life — another key limiting factor in today’s broadband wireless world.

5G could radically alter our lives by introducing virtual and augmented reality services into the mainstream; in addition, we could witness the rise of remote-controlled robotics and driverless cars.

To keep abreast of these new developments, mobile network operators will have to move quickly and significantly raise their game.

But what hasn’t worked well with 4G will not necessarily work better with 5G.

Mobile operators will therefore have to transform and undergo transitions of their own.

In line with this, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has identified five key measures that mobile operators need to implement to cut through the “signal” noise to make the promises of 5G come true:

Automate operations with self-organizing networks: As networks become increasingly more complex, automated processes can lighten the technical and financial burden of operators.

Self-organizing networks automate functions including configuration, optimization, and self-healing. This, in turn, can automatically enhance the performance of networks and rectify issues such as faulty configurations, signal conflicts between neighboring sites, and wrong connection parameters.

Improve spectrum efficiency: Mobile networks are hampered by an inefficient use of spectrum and radio network assets.

The spectral efficiencies seen in today’s LTE networks are a far cry from the optimal 4bits/s/Hz – they are actually much closer to 0.5bits/s/Hz.

In 5G, with values reaching 10bits/s/Hz, the impact will be even stronger due to the greater noise sensitivity of the radio signal quality at high modulation schemes. The efficient use of spectrum and network assets will be critical.

Install smart antennas: An optimal user experience with high-speed data requires excellent signal quality. Today’s signal quality tends to be poor because most mobile networks were not originally designed with mobile broadband usage in mind. Smart antennas with 3D beam-forming (such as adaptive arrays) have the strong potential to overcome signal challenges. More importantly, these antennas depend on advanced SON functionality to deliver their full benefits.

Deploy small cells close to traffic: In a world where a user device should be within a radius of less than 100 meters from the antenna (depending on speed and obstructions), small cells are key to extending networks, improving coverage, and boosting capacity. Operators in the GCC are already following the examples of Asian operators and installing lamp post or street utility base stations.

Enhance intelligence with big data analytics: To support the way next-generation 5G networks are designed, built, and operated, we need to amass more data on individual customer behavior and preferences.

Big data analytics will play a pivotal role in ensuring the successful deployment of 5G — both technically and commercially.

If they want to provide their customers with a truly enhanced overall experience, network operators can no longer view the migration to 5G simply as an upgrade or a ‘fine-tuning’ of their existing mobile broadband networks.

Leveraging the promises of 5G requires a fundamental transformation — one that can address and overcome the shortcomings of today’s mobile broadband services.

Considering the continued bandwidth explosion and the unrelenting speed of 5G and 6GT innovation, there is certainly no time to lose.

The changes needed — across network architecture, radio network design, and operator skills — are vast.

Planning for the future must start now.

— Christian Bartosch is principal at Boston Consulting Group Middle East