What should 5G actually do? The ITU defined three main goals.
ITU = International Telecommunication Union. They set the standards.
The 5G Triangle
The ITU created a triangle diagram with three corners. Each corner represents a different type of application with different needs.
These are the three pillars of 5G:
- eMBB - enhanced Mobile Broadband
- URLLC - Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications
- mMTC - massive Machine-Type Communications
eMBB: Enhanced Mobile Broadband
“I want faster internet.”
This is the “more of what we already have” pillar.
What it means:
- Faster downloads
- Better streaming
- More data capacity
eMBB Targets
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Peak data rate | 20 Gbps |
| User experienced rate | 100 Mbps |
| Area traffic capacity | 10 Mbps/m² |
These numbers are 10-100x better than LTE.
eMBB Use Cases
- 4K/8K video streaming - no buffering
- Virtual Reality (VR) - high bandwidth, immersive
- Augmented Reality (AR) - overlay digital on real world
- Crowded venues - stadiums, concerts, festivals
eMBB is about speed and capacity. More data, faster.
URLLC: Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency
“If it’s late or fails, someone could die.”
This is for applications where delay = disaster.
What it means:
- Instant response (milliseconds)
- Never fails (five nines reliability)
URLLC Targets
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Latency | 1 ms (round-trip) |
| Reliability | 99.999% |
99.999% reliability = only 5 minutes of downtime per year.
LTE latency is around 30-50 ms. URLLC needs 1 ms.
URLLC Use Cases
- Remote surgery - surgeon controls robot miles away
- Autonomous vehicles - car must react instantly
- Industrial automation - robot arms in factories
- Drone control - real-time piloting
URLLC is about reliability and speed. Never late, never fails.
mMTC: Massive Machine-Type Communications
“A million sensors, each sending tiny updates.”
This is not about speed. It’s about scale and battery life.
What it means:
- Billions of tiny devices
- Very low power consumption
- Small amounts of data
mMTC Targets
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Connection density | 1 million devices/km² |
| Battery life | 10+ years |
| Data per device | Very small (bytes) |
A sensor might send 100 bytes once per hour. But there are millions of them.
mMTC Use Cases
- Smart meters - electricity, water, gas
- Agricultural sensors - soil moisture, temperature
- Asset tracking - shipping containers, packages
- Environmental monitoring - air quality, noise levels
mMTC is about scale and efficiency. Millions of devices, tiny data, long battery.
Why Three Pillars?
LTE couldn’t do all three well. You had to choose.
| Need | LTE Problem |
|---|---|
| eMBB | Limited bandwidth |
| URLLC | Too much latency |
| mMTC | Too power-hungry |
5G is designed to handle all three simultaneously.