The role of millimeter-wave and 5G in the fourth industrial revolution

In digital production, an important sector in the fourth industrial revolution, data communication, is an imperative function of numerous applications in the current and modern era. Big data analytics, preventative maintenance and remote maintenance are among the initially targeted sectors where new generation technologies will play a crucial role. Storage of large quantities of data has become relatively contained in recent years; however, the transfer of data, especially audio and visual media, requires high-bandwidth communication channels that are reliable, safe and stable. Wireless broadband is a convenient method of transferring data between two or more points and enables critical applications in the fourth industrial revolution. In this chapter, the significance of wireless-broadband-enabling technologies, such as the fifth-generation (5G) mobile network with underlying millimeter-wave carrier frequencies, is researched. Wired implementations such as fiber have allowed gigabits per second data transfer for quite some time, but broadening access through wireless technologies requires wireless infrastructure that matches the transfer capabilities of fiber. The principles of millimeter-wave frequencies as enabling technologies for future wireless communication in the era of the fourth industrial revolution are critically investigated in this book and introduced in this chapter.