Huawei Introduces 5.5G Multipath Evolution Solutions

Premium 5G Networks Make the World Faster at 5.5G

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) announced the introduction of the “Embracing a prosperous 5G-Advanced era” project during its 5.5G Industry Summit held at MWC Barcelona 2024. With over 60 operators and industry partners, the GSMA 5G Futures Community has expanded to demonstrate how the 5.5G ecosystem is maturing and ready to propel this technology to new heights on a global scale.

The industry has already agreed to evolve to 5.5G. This is consistent with the GSMA 5G Futures Community’s healthy growth, which has seen its membership rise from just 19 when it was founded at MWC Barcelona 2023 to 58 prominent operators, significant equipment suppliers, and industry partners. This demonstrates the coordinated efforts made by the whole ICT sector to advance 5.5G.

A white paper titled “5G-Advanced: Shaping the future of operator services” was also issued by the GSMA at the conference. According to the white paper, the first-wave 5.5G deployment is scheduled to begin in 2024. Additionally, it emphasizes how 5.5G will enhance 5G networks‘ coverage, mobility, speeds, and energy efficiency to provide additional benefits for operators and their clients.

The 5.5G Domain’s President, John Gao, was asked to present at the meeting. In his address, Gao presented Huawei’s multipath solutions for the transition to 5.5G and discussed the service development and commercial benefits of the technology.

In order to provide new experiences, connections, and services, 5G has been evolving quickly. These include human 3D connections, which need 500 Mbps of bandwidth per person with a 20 ms delay. FWA services will only be able to flourish on networks that provide 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps of fiber-like speed. Intelligent vehicle-to-X (V2X) services need 99% dependability and a latency of 20 ms. Even better uplink performance is needed for smart manufacturing and the intelligent connections of everything. For operators and network capacities, these new services provide both possibilities and problems.

Depending on their 5G spectrum, operators in various locations will take distinct evolutionary pathways to 5.5G.

TDD multi-band deployment is one among them. One of the main technologies that allows for 10 times reduced power consumption and per-bit costs as well as improved spectrum efficiency is the extremely large antenna array (ELAA). This method optimizes the possibility for delivering immersive services, such as commercial XR and 3D for the unaided eye, by using these technologies. TDD multi-band deployment, in the meanwhile, can provide the high bandwidth required to boost capacity and enhance user experience. Thus, this route opens up new revenue opportunities by maximizing 5.5G deterministic capabilities to guarantee user experience.

An additional route relies on adding TDD to FDD. The expenses associated with simultaneously running and maintaining four generations of mobile networks are decreased by switching to 5G across all frequencies. For the connections of people and things, a constant service experience may be guaranteed based on multi-band serving cell (MBSC) and flexible spectrum access (FSA).

These approaches will boost the enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), encourage service package upselling, and scale up FWA provisioning when paired with mmWave or upper 6 GHz (U6G) bands.

The eight modifications have already caused quite a stir in the business:

1. The 5G experience is much superior than the 4G one. This is evident in the improved video experience made possible by 5G’s widespread Gbps capacity. Nowadays, over 60% of video material is created at 60 frames per second (FPS) and 720p resolution or higher, which is twice what it was in the past. Cloud gaming and multipoint films are just two examples of the immersive, high-definition applications that have proliferated due to improved wireless home internet access.
2. New kinds of corporate development are being driven by 5G. Globally, operators are introducing a wider range of data plans with high-speed experiences, encouraging network monetization via pricing models that prioritize speed over data volume. Improved uplink efficiency and decreased latency are critical components of these novel network monetization approaches.
3. Global connections are expanding due to 5G. Upgrades in ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) technology have made 5G more affordable and able to be used in more essential manufacturing operations. Expanding connections to all situations, the reduced capability (RedCap) and Passive IoT ecosystem is evolving at an accelerated pace.
4. The preference for multi-carrier networks is growing. In order to offer Gbps, 80% of 5G operators have resorted to TDD big bandwidth, which has aided in the expansion of the multi-band ecosystem. The majority of consumer devices are now multi-carrier capable, and 35% of operators have TDD spectrum in more than two bands.
5. Millimeter wave, or mmWave, is now necessary for 5.5G. The deployment of 5.5G has been made possible by the increased mobility and coverage of mmWave networks thanks to high-frequency AAUs (HAAUs). Commercial enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services with peak speeds of 10 Gbps and average rates of 5 Gbps are already made possible by the usage of these AAUs in China.
6. On 5.5G, extremely large antenna arrays (ELAA) are now the recommended option. A crucial first step toward 5.5G xGbps, ELAA enables operators to update sites to include more antenna components and support additional bands.
7. For green networks, “0 Bit 0 Watt” is quickly emerging as the new standard. In both busy and idle hours, 5G has double the peak-to-average traffic ratio of 4G. Operators now prioritize energy conservation more urgently as a result of this. Huawei has unveiled an entire range of products to assist operators in reaching previously unheard-of levels of energy savings at the site and network levels.
8. Digital twin systems and telecom foundation models are rapidly advancing the industry toward L4 network intelligence. In mobile networks, Huawei IntelligentRAN facilitates multi-objective decision-making, failure prevention and prediction, and service intent sensing by supporting L4 intent-driven network intelligence.

These eight modifications show how close the industry is to providing 5.5G and how far it has come in delivering 5G. In closing, Peng reiterated Huawei’s resolve to collaborate with partners and operators to create a robust industry ecosystem by unrelenting innovation, accelerating the transition of the globe to the commercial 5.5G era.