Modern 5G digital networks couldn’t exist without the help that they get from semiconductors and related devices. These networks use transistors in much the same way that they were used by the old long-distance services, which is fitting because they’re an outgrowth of them. Signals and electrical power come in through two legs of a transistor package, and amplified pulses are sent out the other side. This makes it possible to send digital messages to receiving equipment located quite far from where the transmitter is.
Cellular telephony systems need to be able to maintain two-way communications with towers, which are connected together to track individual handsets. This is done through the use of dedicated integrated circuit packages that essentially combine huge numbers of transistors into a single chip. When people talk about how computer chips are used to power 5G devices, what they’re really referring to are these sophisticated devices.
Capacitors built into these chips are capable of storing electrical current, which they then discharge over time. High-speed 5G communications require periodic bursts of energy, thus making these capacitors of vital importance. While they’re not usually made of semiconducting material themselves, each one is built into an integrated circuit board that’s usually cut from a silicon wafer. Advances in materials engineering have made it possible to strike entire cellular handsets from one single board.
Pundits have often expressed the view that 5G data networks weren’t really to help individual consumers so much as they were to enable utility companies to build cloud power systems. To some extent, this is true as telephone service providers are quickly finding that 5G-enabled cloud computing rings are helping to reduce the risk of blackouts and other maladies by making the grid adapt to current conditions. The intelligent power distribution terminals used in these networks are designed to employ the same class of semiconductors that traditional cell phone handsets have built into them. However, they’re built into much smaller boards because nobody would need to hold a sensor if it’s merely going to be attached to a utility pole.
Perhaps the most surprising part of all of these advances is the fact that they’re part of a long trend that’s taken decades to develop. As early as 1952, telephone company representatives were sharing semiconductor solutions with outside concerns. The idea was to get as much of the power grid hooked up to computer networks as possible. By doing so, they were certain that they would be able to switch off parts of the grid if there were any problems and route electricity to where it was needed most.
Ironically, the reason the cloud computing solutions needed to do so didn’t take off until fairly recently was due to a lack of semiconductors. Traditional computer systems use hollow-state electronics, which simply can’t compete with modern semiconductor-based equipment. It’s not an exaggeration to say that 5G data transmission was born straight out of the semiconductor-driven revolution that has allowed engineers to miniaturize so many other types of devices.
