How do these mobile communications work?
The operation is much more complex than it may seem at first glance, but, to simplify it greatly, every time we make a call, send a message, or check our social media, our phone has to connect to an antenna through which signals are transmitted and received. To do this, voice and data are converted into digital signals that are transmitted to this antenna and, from there, sent through the transport layer until they reach the end user. To make this whole process possible, the architecture of a mobile network is organised into several layers:
- Access layer: uses base stations and antennas to connect mobile devices to the network.
- Transport layer: transfers data between base stations and the network core.
What are its main applications?
Thanks to mobile communications, we can be connected from virtually anywhere. In everyday life, they enable basic tasks such as surfing the internet, sending messages, making calls, using streaming applications… while in the more industrial sphere, multi-access edge computing services stand out, offering ultra-low latency services, as well as services such as private 5G networks and massive IoT.
How has it evolved over the years?
Looking back, the first and second generations of mobile communications made mobile telephony possible for commercial purposes. The third generation made mobile internet a reality, while the fourth significantly improved the user experience, providing higher data transmission rates and, of course, greater capacity. The arrival of all these generations has been self-justified both technically and economically. However, if we focus solely on communications related to the user experience, it might seem that the fifth generation would not generate as much demand as its predecessors did.
However, 5G not only contemplated the possibility of connecting people, but is also a technology geared towards machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. Therefore, it has several advantages over its predecessors, such as the possibility of achieving higher data transfer speeds, greater capacity to connect a large number of devices simultaneously, and lower latency, which translates into faster response times and a better experience in applications that require real-time communication.
Where are you headed in the future with the rise of new technologies?
The evolution of 5G is 5G-Advanced, whose specifications begin in Release 18 of 3GPP onwards. 5G-Advanced is an improved version of the 5G standard, more energy efficient, optimising latency and network capacity, and also introducing new features based on artificial intelligence. 5G-Advanced will also lay the foundations and pave the way for the next generation of mobile networks, 6G.
What professional profiles are involved in mobile communications?
Although the mobile communications ecosystem is very broad, the profiles that mainly work in this sector are telecommunications engineers specialising in radio, transmission, planning, optimisation, connectivity, transport… although it is true that there is also a growing number of profiles focused on development or cybersecurity, which shows that this is a constantly evolving sector full of opportunities.
