The world we live in continues to become more interconnected every day as technology advances. Research company Gartner predicts that there will be 25 billion connected devices in the world by 2021. For those devices to function optimally, we will need to have better, stronger data sources than those we rely on now. This is where 5G technology comes into the picture.

5G, the fifth generation of wireless technology, has become more widespread over the past year, but there are still many challenges to its universal adoption. These challenges include the implementation of a brand new frequency range that must work in large, demanding environments. Multiple redesigns will be required, and OEMs and suppliers must be willing to adopt 5G technology or risk being left behind.

SIMULIA can provide solutions to these issues, first of all by making it easier for OEMs and suppliers to adopt 5G technology. SIMULIA offers complete multiphysics simulation capabilities, high fidelity design exploration, robust and compliant early stage design, and shortened design cycles. This simulation technology also makes easier the complicated problem of adding an entirely new frequency range by simulating the 5G system and the complexity of the environments in which it will be operating. Emerging applications can be virtually explored, and digital continuity is provided for managing data.

Incorporating new 5G technology requires a complete redesign that includes major technical challenges. SIMULIA’s simulation technology can scale out on multiple nodes to explore parallel designs and offers automated workflows, compliance checks and KPI generation. It ensures robust design even with multiple changes.

Three major industries affected by 5G are High Tech, Transportation and Mobility, and Industrial Equipment. In the High Tech industry, smart and connected devices such as mobile phones and fitness trackers are extremely complex to design, with vital components such as antennas, PCBs and chips all needing to be simulated and tested separately as well as together, as a package. 5G involves even more hardware, which results in denser, more three-dimensional PCBs so that they can fit into the allotted amount of space. They also operate at a higher frequency and require advanced 3D simulation to deal with issues such as power and signal integrity.

Large-scale equipment such as antennas for base stations can be easily damaged by incidents such as earthquakes, lightning, or wind. SIMULIA’s electromagnetic simulation tools such as CST Studio Suite offer highly virtual prototyping environments to help ensure that protective measures will work in the real world.

When it comes to connectivity in transportation and mobility, i.e. electric and autonomous vehicles, numerous questions must be asked, such as the following:

• Will vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connections be reliable in complex dynamic environments?
• What is the impact of soiling on antennas and sensors?
• Will communication systems work after a crash?
• Will all electronic systems work in each other’s presence?
• Will the cabling network allow reliable high speed data transfer?
• Are electronic systems designed with 5G performance in mind?

All of these questions can be addressed with simulation, ensuring that antennas and sensors are optimally placed and that there is no radio frequency interference between the vehicle’s systems.

The world of industrial equipment is being transformed by the development of smart, connected factories. Robots, machines and entire systems will communicate with each other, which will require 5G capabilities – meaning, again, that antennas and sensors will play a big role in the factory’s ability to function.

5G design is complicated and has many potential points of failure, but simulation can be used to ensure that these delicate, complex systems do not fail. To learn more about 5G and how simulation helps to engineer optimal, compliant end products, check out the eSeminar “5G – Meeting Design Goals and Product Timelines Through Simulation and Design Exploration.” It can be accessed here.

SIMULIA offers an advanced simulation product portfolio, including Abaqus, Isight, fe-safe, Tosca, Simpoe-Mold, SIMPACK, CST Studio Suite, XFlow, PowerFLOW and more. The SIMULIA Learning Community is the place to find the latest resources for SIMULIA software and to collaborate with other users. The key that unlocks the door of innovative thinking and knowledge building, the SIMULIA Learning Community provides you with the tools you need to expand your knowledge, whenever and wherever.