A new generation of mobile communications has been evolving for every 10 years, keeping in mind the enormous data traffic, huge capacity requirements, excellent quality of service with minimal latency; there is a shift in paradigm toward the upcoming 5G technology which is expected to be rolled out by 2020 that promises to meet the requirements stated above. 5G is envisaged to be a merged framework of wide range of applications ranging from device-to-device communications, smart grid to Internet of Things and many more. In this survey paper, a brief discussion on the major pillars of 5G which are millimeter wave technology, massive MIMO, ultra-dense network, beamforming and full-duplex transmission are presented. This survey paper also focuses on the role of optics in 5G technology, sometimes commonly referred to as microwave photonics, an interdisciplinary research platform. Due to huge bandwidth and enormous capacity upgrade, optical fibers are considered to be ideal backhaul and fronthaul media rather than copper cables in order to support small cells and next-generation networks. These advantages of optical fiber technology enable integrated optical and wireless access technologies for 5G wireless communications an interdisciplinary area of research.

中文翻译：

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关于光子技术在5G通信系统中的作用的调查

考虑到海量数据流量，大容量需求，卓越的服务质量和最小的延迟，新一代的移动通信已经每十年发展一次。即将到来的5G技术正在发生范式转变，预计将在2020年推出，有望满足上述要求。设想5G是一个广泛应用的合并框架，范围从设备到设备通信，智能电网到物联网等等。在这份调查报告中，简要讨论了5G的主要支柱，包括毫米波技术，大规模MIMO，超密集网络，波束成形和全双工传输。本调查报告还着重讨论了光学在5G技术（有时通常称为微波光子学）中的作用，一个跨学科的研究平台。由于巨大的带宽和巨大的容量升级，为了支持小型蜂窝和下一代网络，光纤被认为是理想的回程和前传介质，而不是铜缆。光纤技术的这些优势使用于5G无线通信的集成光学和无线接入技术成为跨学科研究领域。