AI and 5G operate at the physical layer in the unlicensed CBRS band to bring processing power to industries and other use cases. In a video interview, EdgeQ’s Adil Kidwai discusses the integration of technologies with EE World.

Contrary to what the consumer press refers to as a failure, 5G is by design making progress in use cases that consumers never encounter. Indeed, 3GPP Releases 16 and 17 detail capabilities for IoT and private networks, which are commonly referred to as 5G’s “killer app.” 5G and AI operating on private networks could enhance operations in a variety of businesses.

Private networks that operate at frequencies around 3.5 GHz (CBRS) have begun to develop in factories where low-latency edge computing is frequently used for monitoring and control. However, these networks are constructed by IT professionals who are not necessarily engineers. They require devices and systems that reduce integration and interoperability complications. This is when small cells constructed with highly integrated components come into play. In addition, manufacturers require low latency and computational power to monitor manufacturing operations and make prompt choices should a process deviate from its acceptable range.

This is where 5G and artificial intelligence come into play. According to EdgeQ’s Vice President and Head of Product Management, 5G and AI are complementary. “5G and AI are fundamentally based on the same math,” said Kidwai in a video interview with EE World.

Each does dot-product multiplication, arithmetic averaging, and nonlinear operations. Kidwai describes how AI handles communications functions including spectrum monitoring, user monitoring, and preemptive decision making. 5G simultaneously transfers data from sensors to computers at the network edge, where low-latency is essential for making prompt choices, and also transfers data to the cloud in less time-sensitive circumstances.

Kidwai shows further how merging the physical, data-link, and network layers into a single device simplifies small cells utilized in private networks. In this instance, “physical layer” refers to baseband digital processing as opposed to radio. Radio functions are handled by transceivers, filters, and amplifiers.

Source: 5G Technology World