Do 5G Networks Need New Network Engineer Skills?

5G networks can affect the skills of the network engineer in areas such as security, physical devices and software. But for now, the business team doesn't see much change.

The transition to the next fifth-generation standard begins with IP-dependent 3G cellular networks. It is also the foundation of most business networks. 4G networks combine more functions, including the processing of cellular voice traffic over IP.

When IP becomes the default for both networks, it is clear that customer network operators and engineers will begin to share many common network skills. The transition to 5G is currently underway. By 2020 or 2021, most operators will be in commercial operation from 5G to 2024, which could be a major operator technology.

Network Engineer in business data centers may not see widespread changes in skills, as 5G is primarily an operator technology. However, business support may change over time as 5G networks can create new opportunities for cloud-based mobile applications.

Where do the skills of network engineers change the most?

Security is an important area of ​​business team network engineer skills. The combination of business networks, cloud services, and 5G can create duplications and gaps in network security that engineers must carefully manage.

Operator network engineers are experiencing change and complexity as the introduction of 5G changes the way companies build and deliver telecommunications services. Therefore, 5G networks require a different programming capacity to handle the amount and types of services that organizations plan to run on their cellular infrastructure.

Focusing on software and microservices is essential to the implementation of 5G commitments and should be an integral part of all 5G services. Network engineers can no longer program each device through the command line interface (CLI). Complexity requires software-defined programming, orchestration, and automation capabilities.

The following areas are important to the skills of network engineers.

Software-defined networks for routing and switching.

A software defined wireless access network for wireless connections to mobile phones and devices.

Virtualization of network functions to virtualize applications and physical network functions, such as gateways, firewalls and load balancing.

Automation and orchestration to process changes quickly and efficiently depending on conditions and loads.

With the move to a more virtualized world where programmable devices and automation control much of what happens on networks, the old device-level CLI configuration method is fast disappearing.

Does 5G network need new network engineer skills?

5G networks can affect the skills of the network engineer in areas such as security, physical devices and software. But for now, the business team doesn't see much change.

The transition to the next fifth generation standard begins with IP-dependent 3G cellular networks. It is also the foundation of most business networks. 4G networks combine more features, including handling cellular voice over IP traffic.

When IP becomes the default for both networks, it's clear that customer network operators and engineers will begin to share many of their common network skills. The transition to 5G is currently underway. By 2020 or 2021, most operators will have commercial operations from 5G to 2024, which could be a major operator technology.

Network engineers in enterprise data centers may not see widespread changes in skills as 5G is primarily an operator technology. However, business support may change over time as 5G networks can create new opportunities for cloud-based mobile applications.