2021 will see the rise of edge computing, thanks to 5G. In 2020 and beyond, the first applications using 5G\u2019s super high speed, low latency, machine-machine communications will be introduced. These new offerings, such as high-resolution cloud gaming, industrial IoT process control and onsite augmented reality guidance for workers, will demonstrate the value that 5G can unlock. <\/span><\/i>Source<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n While such applications won\u2019t be widely deployed this year, their potential has already begun reshaping industries, including data center infrastructure and virtualized networking. For example, with 5G\u2019s ability to provide latencies, it will become easier to deploy low-latency 5G applications, and 2020 has already seen data centers preparing for its arrival.<\/span><\/p>\n While 5G technology is being rolled out, it is creating a domino effect on existing infrastructure and new investment, particularly relating to data centers. More straightforward aspects such as network and router upgrades are necessary to adapt to 5G, along with more significant updates to existing technologies such as network functions virtualisation (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to Moor Insights & Strategy\u2019s 2018 look at investment attributable to 5G, network transformation (56%) is the main focus, followed by the data center (22%) and edge computing (19%).<\/span><\/p>\n Source: <\/span><\/i>How 5G will affect the structure of data centers<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Opportunities will exist for both new and existing data centers. Therefore, for the industry to benefit from 5G, the existing structure of data centers has to be taken into account.<\/span><\/p>\n According to an article from Data Center Dynamics, there is a lot of flexibility built into the network architecture of 5G that enables it to address a wide range of use cases that are beyond the capabilities of 4G.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe flexibility includes things such as the desegregation of the control and user plains of the network and also migration towards distributed baseband processing and the radio access network (RAN). In turn, this leads to opportunities for virtualization of RAN network functions, and it enables the convergence of the RAN into the data center 5G space\u201d <\/span><\/i>Source<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n RAN open standards driven by global network operators as well as OEMs will mean a more unified approach to 5G architecture. This could drive businesses away from traditional OEMs to newer, agile players who can provide services under an open standards environment.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/datacenterfrontier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/google-servers-web.jpg\")
<\/p>\nData Centers Must Upgrade<\/b><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n5G RAN<\/b><\/h2>\n
Edge Computing\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n