2024-05-22 China Daily Editor: Li Yan
A senior executive at Chinese telecoms equipment maker ZTE said the commercial use of 5G-A (5G Advanced) technology will boost industries and change the way people interact.
“This year will be the first year for the commercial use of 5G-A technology,” Tang Xue, vice president of the Shenzhen-based company, said on Monday.
“The commercialization of this technology will benefit not only businesses but also ordinary people in their daily lives.”
5G-A technology is an enhanced version of 5G and a connection to 6G. Compared with 5G, 5G-A technology has 10 times the improvement in speed, latency and connection scale.
Tan said one of the industries that will greatly benefit from 5G-A technology is the low-altitude economy.
The low-altitude economy covers areas such as express logistics, emergency rescue, agriculture, consumption and entertainment, and is an industry that China attaches great importance to.
The 2024 Government Work Report, released by Premier Li Qiang in March, stated that China would actively cultivate emerging and future-oriented industries and create new growth engines in areas such as the low-altitude economy.
To develop a low-altitude economy, certain conditions need to be met. For example, two-way, low-latency communication is needed to effectively manage unmanned aerial vehicles and ensure their safety, Tang said.
“To make that happen, fundamental support is important, and 5G-A provides that support,” she said.
Low-altitude airspace can reach altitudes of over 1,000 metres, but current wireless communication networks only cover altitudes up to around 150 metres, so improved communications infrastructure is needed to enable developments in this field.
Tan said the arrival of 5G-A technology will also change the way people communicate.
“Currently, video conferencing remains a two-dimensional scenario. With the help of 5G-A technology, we can expect three-dimensional video frames that make you feel as if you are in the same space as the other person,” she said.
From a global perspective, the Middle East is accelerating the adoption of 5G-A technology, and Europe is also moving actively in this direction, Tang added.
The global 5G services market was worth $28.9 billion last year and is expected to reach $250.2 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of 26.5 percent, according to a report by market research firm Custom Market Insights.
The information technology and telecommunications sector will dominate the market with a share of 35% in 2022, followed by banking and healthcare. The IT and telecommunications sector is projected to continue leading until 2032, according to the report.
According to the report, autonomous driving, augmented reality and virtual reality are some of the new services enabled by technological advances, improving network efficiency and increasing the need for 5G infrastructure.
Copyright © 1999-2024 Chinanews.com All rights reserved.
