By Dean Zwarts, Snr. Global Business Manager for Cybersecurity Device Security & Audit Solutions at UL Solutions

It is forecasted that by the end of 2028, global 5G subscriptions will reach five billion. There are many advantages to designing and building a 5G product, from enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and massive machine-type communication (mMTC) to Ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), but transitioning to 5G can be more complicated and potentially riskier than 4G and there a range of things to consider.

5G is not an incremental jump in technology but rather a leap. Therefore, potential points of failure are not always obvious, can be more complicated and potentially not as well defined as they were in the past. You need to be well prepared and informed of design and testing requirements to avoid common mistakes that could lead to recalls, bad reviews and penalties for noncompliance.

Complicated 5G radio frequency testing compliance

New technologies generally evolve faster than rules and regulations. The overall process to cope with this is straightforward. At first, a new technology must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. As the technology evolves and matures, the regulatory bodies gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that impact compliance. The goal is to help ensure a high level of consistency for compliance review among different products, enable a design-to-compliance approach for manufacturers, and shorten the time to market.

Inconsistent adoption by various countries of various frequency bands for 5G also can affect your product design choices. There is no surprise then, that the UK is rapidly increasing research on 5G and 6G technology as part of a £110 million Telecoms R&D package to help streamline practices and innovation. We’ve also seen the creation of the UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN), a new body dedicated to making UK an international leader in telecoms innovation, with the focus of supporting more designers with their scaling up process, creating their products and ensuring better access to markets, which will help design and innovation hugely.

5G requires more attention to the design of printed circuits and printed circuit boards

Printed circuit (PC) and printed circuit board (PCB) design has always involved electrical, mechanical, environmental, thermal and manufacturing process factors. These factors become more critical and challenging for 5G products due to data rates in the gigabit range and operating frequencies in the mmWave bands.

Today’s PC products are extremely sensitive to manufacturing variations, manufacturing temperatures and precise copper thickness uniformity. So, the cost of design failure and reliability is a critical factor across all major market segments requiring 5G compatibility. Scrap and field failures have always been an issue; but they are more critical now that PCs are so important for 5G equipment as it becomes increasingly more difficult to make repairs by hand.

Countering 5G’s effects on battery life

5G products operate differently than 3G and 4G products, which can impact battery requirements. For example, products using 5G channels, including mmWave, will initially require multiple transmitters operating simultaneously in different bands, which increases the need for power. While faster data transfer with 5G means less time spent transmitting, some 5G devices are designed to operate more often or use more computer processing power to handle real-time, high-volume data transfer. These advances can impact battery life and power requirements.

On top of that, 5G enables more applications where the risk of battery failure increases the chance of injury or death, such as in medical devices and autonomous vehicles. Structural battery issues can cause a short circuit and damage the device they were powering, resulting in severe consequences including the product bursting into flames. As an example, GM recalled 142,000 cars and Hyundai 82,000, both due to the risk that the batteries can, in unusual circumstances, burst into flames. The severity of damage that batteries can cause shows the importance of having safety standards and certification for batteries.

For 5G consumer products, the two most important battery performance parameters are capacity and cycle life. A higher capacity enables the device to operate for a longer time between recharges. A higher cycle life indicates that the battery will last longer under many typical usage characteristics. The battery and product design, construction and chemistry influence these parameters.

In conclusion, there are several steps to consider when designing a 5G product. Overcomplicating processes can easily happen, but simplifying things, especially when assessing radio frequency compliance will be key. Also, attention to detail when it comes to understanding the battery life requirements, along with the design of printed circuits and print circuit boards will ensure you end up with a sound and operational 5G product.