5G Advanced

- 5G is Reshaping Video Streaming and AR Usage

5G networks can improve the quality of video streaming and augmented reality (AR) use:

• Video streaming: 5G’s high bandwidth and low latency can improve the quality of video streaming. This could lead to increased demand for streaming content.
• Augmented Reality: 5G’s low latency and high data rates can support AR applications that require real-time video interaction. This could lead to more immersive experiences for gaming, education, healthcare and other industries.

Here are some examples of how 5G can improve the use of AR:

• Gambling: 5G enables immersive VR and AR content without noticeable latency.
• Education: 5G can support AR applications that can support any number of devices needed for a meeting or presentation.
• Healthcare: 5G can handle the massive image processing required for AR to transmit multiple, near-real-time data simultaneously over varying distances.
• Construction: 5G can enable AR to display 3D CAD/BIM models, such as those of a construction site, so users can visualize their creations before starting work.

In the past few years, mobile data consumption among global 5G users has grown significantly. The average 5G user consumes much more data than a 4G user. This begs the question: What is driving mobile data traffic on 5G networks? 

The share of users who watch high-definition 4K videos on a daily basis has increased significantly over the past few years. In addition, there has been considerable growth in the adoption of advanced video formats. 

For example, 360-degree video and multi-view streaming allow users to select multiple camera sources, control angles, and zoom in and out during the stream. On average, more daily users now use these formats, indicating their growing popularity. Notably, the number of daily users of AR apps has also increased significantly.

- 5G-Advanced

5G-Advanced, sometimes referred to as 5.5G, will be the next big advancement in the 5G New Radio (5G NR) standard. 5G-Advanced will be specified in 3GPP Release 18, which will be frozen in March 2024, and may become commercially available sometime in 2025.

5G-Advanced is the next evolutionary step in 5G technology. It will bring a higher level of enhancement beyond connectivity and enable a wider range of advanced use cases across vertical industries. It will support advanced applications with enhanced mobility and high reliability, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) that improve network performance. It will also further improve spectral efficiency and energy saving.

Industry 4.0 is one of the first industries to really benefit from 5G services to improve productivity and manufacturing. For example, for some use cases, 5G provides high-quality video streaming, real-time mobile video capture, and feeds from multiple video streams for a range of use cases such as advanced video analytics or video surveillance. 

5G Advanced is an evolution towards 6G that supports intelligent network automation. It includes: 

• RAN management
• Analytics
• AI/ML model life-cycle management
• Intent-based management

5G Advanced provides enhancements to the architecture to support intelligent network automation.

- The 5G-Advanced Era

The release of 3GPP Release 18 marks another major evolution of 5G technology and will lead the industry into the 5G-Advanced era.

5G-Advanced aims to develop 5G to its fullest and richest capabilities. It will provide the foundation for more demanding applications and a wider range of use cases than ever before through a truly immersive user experience based on extended reality (XR) capabilities. It will also introduce AI and ML enhancements in the RAN, core and network management layers to improve performance, network optimization and energy efficiency. It will also be fully backwards compatible and therefore able to coexist with the current 5G NR Release 15-17, including the ability to serve legacy 5G devices.

- The Mobile 5.5G

5.5G, also known as 5G-Advanced, is a technological advancement built on 5G. It has the potential to revolutionize and digitize numerous industries.

Features of 5.5G include:

• Greater capacity and better performance
• Accurate timing
• Artificial intelligence support
• Enhanced massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) performance
• Low latency, large bandwidth
• 5.5G has the potential to empower the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and chatbots. It can also make the mining process more automated and reduce manual involvement.

5.5G has five major features:

• 10 Gbps experience
• Full scene interconnection
• Integrated sensing and communications
• L4 level autonomous driving network
• Green ICT