5G will be the next big thing

NNIT has been testing 5G against 4G and regular cable internet connections across different devices, and the verdict is here: it works, and it can process more data quicker and in a better quality than traditional internet/fiber net.

This autumn, NNIT and TDC NET have scheduled several tests with the purpose of testing TDC’s new 5G net, which aired on 7 September.

According to Jesper Høeg Bøttger, Advanced Business Consultant, NNIT Digital Together, 5G is the next big thing, which will give us more bandwidth and enable us to process more data much quicker. The user experience will be significantly better, and, in time, we may even be able to free ourselves completely from cable connections.

”5G is a technology enabler,” Jesper Høeg Bøttger says, and elaborates that ”with 5G we’ll be opening the door to a whole new world of digital innovation where technologies such as Internet of Things, Virtual and Augmented Reality will really emerge and become mainstream.”

Kasper Kronmann Nielsen, Director, NNIT Advisory, also sees great potential for businesses that may be able to get out of establishing their own networks and depend entirely on 5G and Cloud technology:

”Imagine a future when our devices are merely screens that show us an image and when all data processing takes place in the Cloud, because our 5G data connections are good and strong enough to send vast amounts of data very quickly. This could potentially revolutionize the way we do things in a lot of different ways.”

Lack of security not a concern

We are very clear on the question of security: 5G is a radio-based technology and therefore an open network that cannot be closed to hackers and others with malicious intent. However, since the 5G connection can process significantly more data than e.g. 4G, it will be easier to encrypt data connections. In the same way, 5G operators are expected to be able to implement new security measures into the network itself.

”The biggest problem as we see it,” Kasper Kronmann Nielsen elaborates, ”is not the security aspect, but whether we can achieve full coverage and availability of 5G enabled devices. Full coverage will require a dense distribution of masts, and not all people feel they add positively to the surroundings; this could become a hurdle,” Kasper Kronmann Nielsen says.

Incubator for innovation

For Thomas Schjødt, Director,NNIT Digital Together, the most exciting thing about digital transformation is the chance to act as an incubator for digital innovation – to be the link between the technology developers, suppliers and users and to help all parties to be successful with their projects:

”We may not be particularly known for it, but we have a thriving innovation team here in NNIT. We develop digital solutions together with technology start-ups and suppliers in order to be able to help our customers create digital business value. We are ambitious and want to expand our network,” Thomas Schjødt emphasizes and puts out an open invitation to contact him.

At the moment, NNIT is engaged in innovation tests and partnerships with TDC NET, Virsabi, Microsoft and more as well as several players on the start-up scene. ”It is amazing to be part of an innovation journey and be inspired while at the same time offering our partners a test environment of scale. Not all ideas become mainstream technology, but it is so very educational to be right at the forefront where new technology starts to emerge,” Kasper Kronmann Nielsen enthusiastically relays.

A wireless future

While continuously doing 5G tests, NNIT takes a look further into the future with the conviction that most greater cities in Denmark will have 5G coverage within a year – and even further to the introduction of 6G and possible use of satellites to cover areas of land with no established communications infrastructure in the form of cobber, cables, masts etc.

”It is incredibly exciting to be part of a time when the development of wireless infrastructure can really jumpstart the use of technologies that have been emerging for a long time. We really want to be a part of the innovation debate, and we have a set-up to allow us to go along with some wild ideas as well as test them in real life,” Jesper Høeg Bøttger finishes.

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Facts about 5G in Denmark

5G is an abbreviation for 5. generation mobile network, cf. 2G, 3G and 4G.

5G is up to 20 times faster than 4G and has a significantly greater capacity and quicker response time than previous generations. It will provide a more stable experience regardless of our work and collaboration location.

TDC is the first in Denmark

NNIT are working with TDC NET on continuously testing the 5G net in Denmark. TDC's 5G net launched as the first in Denmark on 7 September this year. To start with, a 5G coverage rate of approx. 80% is expected, and before the end of the year this number should rise to approx. 90%.

At the center of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Elsinore,users can expect speeds of up to 1 Gbps, whereas the rest of the country will experience lower speeds – although higher than 4G.

Read more about TDC NET’s 5G solution here (in Danish).

The other major tele-communications providers in Denmark are expected to follow suit and launch 5G nets of their own momentarily.

Few 5G devices

The selection of 5G enabled phones in Denmark is still fairly limited but is expected to be expanded starting as soon as early 2021. Read more here (in Danish).