What will happen to 5G after 2022 and beyond?

Depending on who you’re asking, 5G is a big change in mobile networking based on building blocks or meaningless and overly expensive upgrades. Despite the range of opinions, the industry continues to improve with the set of standards to roll out in the coming months and years.

5G is now firmly embedded in a good portion of the world’s networks, if still somewhat regionally limited, what can we expect from the next step in the development and rollout of the standard? Dive into it.

Following 5G development is not a straightforward business; It takes a long time to modify, finalize, and implement 3GPP releases that form the building block of networks and connected devices. Although, broadly speaking, we are at a stage where the basic technical aspects are mostly set in stone and in 2018 fall under 5G New Radio (Release 15). These include technologies you may be familiar with, such as mmWave and the use of sub-6GHz frequency bands, beamforming and MIMO, all of which form the backbone of the first-gen 5G networks used today. Upcoming and future releases are mostly, but not exclusively, focused on enhancing network features.

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Release 16, the next step in the 5G journey, was finalized in late 2020. Standard’s major contributions include support for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, advanced mobile broadband priority (eMBB) and low-latency (URLLC) traffic, and unlicensed spectrum. The 5G new radio unlicensed (NR-U) band in the 6GHz band is seen as a key development to open up more spectrum, enabling carriers to greatly increase their 5G network capacity and speed without relying on expensive mmWave.

However, unlicensed spectrum is not free for all names – regulatory and interference issues need to be addressed before carriers can be deployed to these bands. The European Union, South Korea and the United States have opened the 6GHz zone for use with outdoor networks with some caution, such as automatic frequency adjustment (AFC) requirements. Looking for T-Mobile Check for unlicensed 6GHz spectrum In 2022, so as we enter 2023 we expect it to become a feature of many more networks.

Read more: What is Wi-Fi 6E and unlicensed 6GHz spectrum?

What is 5G Advanced?

Release 17, which reached the “functional fridge” in March 2022, is even more ambitious from a feature standpoint. In terms of hardware, the revision aims to extend the battery life of mobile devices, improve MIMO coverage and URLLC features, and scale mmWave spectrum to support between 52.6 and 71GHz and 60Hz unlicensed bands. Again, the search for more bandwidth is a key component of the 5G roadmap.

The upcoming release also introduces a new class of NR-Light 5G devices that support scale-down bandwidth and antenna requirements for wearables, sensors, video cameras, and more. There is support for Satellite-supported communications, Extended multicast features, and centimeter-level positioning accuracy for industrial applications where high-precision, on-site tracking is required. Satellite-based comms (5G NTN) may be used to extend network coverage beyond the common cell edge and to provide blanket coverage for inaccessible places, as well as for IoT projects. Combined with much larger bandwidth and side-link expansion, Release 17 is taking shape to support wider use than what we’ve seen since 5G in 2022.

However, as this specification will only be finalized in mid-2022, these improvements will still not make their way into networks for at least a few years.

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3GPP development is a visionary process and release 18, aka 5G Advanced, is already on the horizon, although final release is not expected in late 2023 / early 2024.

Early stage discussion Suggests that 5G may adopt AI / machine learning to improve efficiency across all RAN, core and management domains that support advanced 5G networks. The standard can provide advance support for 5G satellite communications for hard-to-reach locations and extensive IoT coverage, switch to sub-band full-duplex (SBFD) for enhanced latency and uplink capabilities, and add multi-SIM support with uninterrupted switching. Maybe, among many other initiatives. That said, the specification has to go a long way before it is finalized, so a lot can change between now and then.

Is on a distinct horizon

The specification is OK, but the field setting is the most important for the consumer and the business. By 2022, 5G will consist primarily of non-standalone (NSA) networks, meaning they are using existing 4G LTE cores to manage the network to speed up with 5G data pipes. As installations are now well established, carriers are beginning to look at standalone (SA) 5G network types to deliver on many of the 5G’s (hitherto) missing promises.

Read more: 5G standalone vs. non-standalone explained

Vodafone Germany is flipping its 5G SA switch in the woods and plans to leave completely by 2025. The state of Bahrain also has an online SA network through the operator STC Bahrain In the UK, EE plans to enable unique services by 2023 Back in the US, T-Mobile has already started changing its network Verizon wants to move towards a 5G core after 2022, when AT&T has no commitment and “when the ecosystem is ready”, that means it will change whatever. Many smartphones today already support 5G SA, although AT&T cited battery life concerns as a possible cause for delays.

What does this shift to 5G standalone mean for users? From a smartphone user’s point of view, not much.

Going from NSA to SA will not automatically balloon your 5G speeds, at least not without turning on extra bandwidth at the same time. In addition, you need a handset compatible with your standalone to make the switch. Fortunately, most 5G handsets sold last year support NSA and SA, and carriers will continue to support legacy connections for the foreseeable future.

Instead, only 5G-core carriers are allowed to launch new uses on their networks. Removing the old LTE key barriers opens the door to ultra-low latency devices, big data applications such as mass IoT communications, and improved network slicing for service providers. While mobile users may also benefit from lower latency and a slight increase in bandwidth, we’ll see the benefits of 5G standalone in addition to the conventional smartphone experience with new services. In the immediate future, 5G may not seem so exciting, but perhaps the long-term picture is more promising?

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