2024 is recognized as the first year of 5G-Advanced evolution. In the coming years, 5G-Advanced is poised to flourish, unlock further potential, and lay the foundations for the future development of 6G. Li Xiaotong, Vice President of ZTE Corporation, elaborated on his ZTE’s “hexagonal” model towards the new realm of 5G-Advanced and how it will affect digital life, digital industry and digital society. Emphasis on what will bring you great benefits. This innovative technology is reimagining a limitless digital future.
5G has become an integral part of our daily lives around the world. More than 1.9 billion users are connected through our 5G network in 302 locations around the world. 5G is also powering the digital transformation of industries. In China, 29,000 5G private networks are being built to support and strengthen various industries.
Despite significant achievements, there are still more new scenarios and new services that require technology evolution. This is precisely why 5G Advance is gaining momentum, as it has the potential to unlock further possibilities and lay the foundation for the future development of 6G.
What enhancements will 5G-Advanced bring as the “next step” in the 5G evolution? What new technologies will it introduce? How will it transform our digital lives? Will it empower the digital industry and reshape the digital society of the future?
5G-Advanced “hexagonal” model
From ZTE’s perspective, 5G-Advanced technologically extends the 5G application scenario from the original “triangular” framework to a new “hexagonal” model.
First, as an evolution of 5G, 5G-Advanced not only inherits but also enhances the original three 5G scenarios. When it comes to eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband), 5G-Advanced delivers seamless data rates of up to 10 Gbit/s, significantly exceeding previous Gigabit/s capabilities. For Massive Machine-Type Communications (mTC), 5G-Advanced will enable the connection of trillions of simultaneous device links, increasing the range from billions. For uRLLC (ultra-reliable low-latency communications), 5G-Advanced increases the deterministic capabilities of the network, from 20 ms at 99.99% reliability level to just 1 ms at 99.999% reliability level. Shorten to. Additionally, 5G-Advanced introduces three innovative new application scenarios: integrated sensing and communication, universal intelligence, and ubiquitous connectivity.
ZTE expects that 5G-Advanced will unlock tremendous value in key areas such as B2C (digital life), B2B (digital industry), and B2X (digital society) through optimization and expansion across six application scenarios. There is.
For digital life, 5G-Advanced’s 10Gbps capacity will improve the consumer experience through intelligent living applications such as 8K video, glasses-free 3D content, and immersive VR/AR experiences. These services blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds, providing users with unprecedented levels of engagement and entertainment. For the digital industry, 5G-Advanced’s deterministic capabilities and industrial field network solutions will significantly accelerate critical production sectors and enable flexible manufacturing, leading to increased efficiency and cost savings for industry partners. For a digital society, 5G advancement is expected to explore new opportunities in areas such as connected vehicles, connected drones, and direct satellite access via smartphones, bridging the digital divide and contributing to a more inclusive and connected future. I am.
Rapid growth of new services for digital life
When it comes to digital life, user experience upgrades, feature evolutions, and new services like AIGC will create a huge market of tens of trillions and provide revolutionary opportunities for the growth of the digital economy. Meanwhile, the proliferation of new services is also bringing new challenges to 5G networks, such as a 10-fold increase in network capacity and experience guarantees.
ZTE offers a wide range of 5G-Advanced products and solutions that support various application scenarios, and has achieved great success in deploying these solutions.
For FWA scenarios, mmWave AAU supports ultra-high bandwidth of 1.6 GHz and delivers 28 Gbps of throughput, which is 10x faster than current FWA user experience.
For subway scenarios, the innovative on-train subway 5G system introduces 5G microstations (QCells) in fast-moving vehicles and mmWave AAUs inside tunnels. The system has been commercially deployed on Shanghai Metro Line 4, with wireless backhaul reaching 15Gbps on the downlink, improving the subway passenger experience by 10 times and significantly shortening the construction time of the subway network.
For the XR scenario, ZTE can realize cloud-based rendering and wireless transmission based on 5G-Advanced 10Gbps network to provide users with a better experience. Recently, ZTE verified a large-scale XR competitive game for multiple players in a large space of 1000 square meters using millimeter-wave distributed microcells (ZTE MiCell solution), and backing up with 60ms E2E service latency. We have created a VR experience that does not require a pack.
In the media broadcast scenario, ZTE launched a “5G-Advanced Ultra HD Wireless Live Broadcast” solution applying portable CampSite with MiCell and edge computing capabilities for the 2024 Lunar New Year celebration. Based on 5G-Advanced technology, the wireless camera position can flexibly and accurately track highlights on stage, providing seamless switching between wired and wireless camera positions.
Deterministic networks for digital industries
Industry empowerment has always been a key mission of 5G. Over the past few years, 5G has been widely applied to various industries and sectors. 5G-Advanced provides a deterministic network with low latency, high reliability, and low jitter, facilitating thorough digital transformation in industries from non-critical to critical production areas. .
By building an independent and controllable 5G-Advanced private network, companies can ensure the security of production data and tight integration with IT/OT systems. ZTE launched Uni-Engine, an all-in-one ultra-highly integrated private network product. It integrates all 5G network elements and edge computing infrastructure into one box, avoiding the complexity of traditional wireless networks and allowing industries to conveniently manage and maintain networks. One stop.
ZTE has worked with carriers and industry partners to practice 5G applications in key production areas across multiple industries. ZTE’s Nanjing Binjiang factory has built more than 110 5G+ industrial integration innovation applications, greatly improving production efficiency and realizing “5G manufacturing by 5G”.
At Guangzhou Meino Technology, ZTE provides end customers with a “native” 5G on-site network solution by pre-integrating 5G modules into production equipment, enabling hourly private network deployment and one-stop cloud network services I made it. Wuhan Steel Cooperation (WISCO) has built a 5G fully connected smart steel factory to upgrade several key steel processes such as hot metal transportation, overhead cranes, and production management, reducing task uptime by 75%. Ta.
To meet the widespread demand for low-to-medium-speed large-scale IoT, ZTE launches the RedCap+X solution to provide customized and cost-effective 5G connectivity services to the entire industry. For smart grid applications, RedCap and network slicing can achieve service separation, and RedCap and uRLLC and ZTE NodeEngine edge computing solutions can ensure low latency for control services and create an economical, reliable, and efficient 5G network. We provide
Currently, ZTE has worked with various partners to complete pilot projects for typical RedCap application scenarios in industries such as manufacturing, power grid, and video surveillance, and has deployed more than 20,000 RedCap commercial sites across China. RedCap will continue to evolve in the 5G-Advanced phase to help usher in the era of everything connected.
The future of an infinitely expanding digital society
On the ground, 5G advances will connect vehicles to roadside infrastructure, making them smarter and safer. His V2X solution, powered by ZTE’s 5G-Advanced, enables cost-effective autonomous driving and improved transportation efficiency through the integration of vehicles, roads, networks, and cloud. The solution has been deployed in Suzhou, China, with his L4 self-driving service for L2 vehicles and over 1,000 vehicles connected to his cloud control platform for real-time monitoring, including robobuses, robotaxis, unmanned cleaning, etc. intelligent vehicles are available.
Low altitude extends the business perimeter of 5G networks from ground space to airspace. 5G-Advanced infrastructure provides communications and computing integration for a wide range of low-altitude applications such as UAV logistics and delivery, power line inspection, and emergency rescue. Low-altitude economics is supported by continuous and stable network coverage for the best performance, and the computing power of 5G base stations is unlocked by up to 3.rd Parties to UAV control platform deployment at the edge.
5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) usher in a new era of “consumer-level” satellite internet, enabling wide-area connectivity for interaction between people, goods, and vehicles. ZTE launched an NTN ground base station and successfully completed the industry’s first IoT-NTN validation for maritime coverage in Zhoushan, China. We are currently conducting field tests to further verify the functionality and performance of NR-NTN.
“Standing at the beginning of 2024, we are full of expectations and motivation,” said Li Xiaotong. “This year marks the arrival of 5G advanced, marking the beginning of a new era and an exciting journey ahead of us.” ZTE continues to strengthen its foundation through innovation-driven development and open collaboration. We remain resolute in our efforts as a “driver of the digital economy” by promoting and establishing partnerships with various industries. These efforts will propel the second phase of 5G and lay a solid foundation for a 6G future, allowing us to create a limitless future together.
