In 2023, GSMA Intelligence launched a new research series examining the evolution of 5G networks and services. With the arrival of 5G Advanced imminent, we highlight some of the key technology and service innovations that will enable 5G to continue meeting customer demands until the end of the decade. , I felt it was important to convey the trajectory of 5G.
We titled this series 5G Next and used it to explore technology advances such as Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) and future roadmaps for improving network energy efficiency. I did. Based on the strategies of leading carriers, we will take a look at how the evolved 5G will impact fixed wireless access (FWA), a key use case for the technology.
5G-Advanced around 2024
5G-Advanced is the evolution of 5G services and networks starting with 3GPP Release-18. Implementable specifications are expected to be finalized by mid-2024, and commercial products are expected to appear over the next year or so, with lots of messaging and promotion of his 5G-Advanced across the mobile ecosystem. will be done. If you haven’t been paying attention to the 5G-Advanced story so far, you won’t have a choice in 2024.
Like other 3GPP specification sets, Release-18 includes a myriad of new features. Given its ability to significantly improve 5G’s value proposition, only a handful are garnering the most attention.
- Enhanced data rate. New antenna technology increases uplink and downspeeds.
- Latency enhancements. Continued promotion of low-latency communications through 5G.
- Improved network slicing. Advances in management allow for more granular configuration and service continuity.
- Red Cap IoT. 5G NR device with reduced functionality equivalent to LTE Cat 1. Complexity (and data rates) are reduced as costs are reduced.
- 5G multicast. One-to-many communication over 5G networks was established in Release 17 and improved in Release 18 to expand applications.
To be sure, 5G-Advanced includes more features. And as carriers evolve their 5G networks, they will look to his 5G-Advanced alongside other innovations such as mmWave 5G. But these are some of the most important as carriers seek to monetize their investments in 5G networks and move into the enterprise sector. The role of delivering on the original promise of 5G and delivering new customer experiences, especially for B2B use cases, means that more than half of carriers with 5G networks will deploy 5G-Advanced within two years of availability. It helps explain why you are planning.
FWA and 5G-Advanced connectivity
As we hear about 5G-Advanced use cases and applications, several promised features of the technology emerge. Think MR and Metaverse services with improved uplinks, latency, and slicing, or deeper B2B penetration with lower-cost IoT and enhanced slicing. FWA is not a headline use case, but there are several reasons why it is.
Beyond the technology capabilities of 5G-Advanced, the biggest reason that connects FWA to the future of 5G is market momentum. FWA has proven to be one of the breakthrough applications of 5G, with more than 120 carriers launching the service by the end of 2023. 5G network capacity and government connectivity mandates, as well as a thriving FWA CPE ecosystem, are all contributing to this growth. Perhaps more importantly, FWA was ranked as his top 5G use case in the GSMA Intelligence Consumers in Focus survey. This is a high-demand service supported by a strong technology ecosystem and societal demand.
There is real reason to believe that 5G advances will contribute to continued success in the future.
Indeed, improving top-end data rates will serve as a powerful marketing tool to drive the adoption of 5G FWA. But beyond that, as consumer and enterprise users grapple with their XR and Metaverse use cases, the uplink, slicing and latency enhancements promised by 5G-Advanced will help meet their demands. It should be important. The same slicing and latency enhancements support the expansion of FWA from consumer to enterprise markets, especially when specific industries have critical performance requirements. And at the other end of the market, RedCap is developing his low-cost 5G FWA CPE for consumer and enterprise use cases that only require 4G speeds while benefiting from the investment protection of a 5G foundation. should be possible.
Zain looks to 5G-Advanced to drive FWA momentum
Zain KSA has emerged as a global leader in 5G FWA, leveraging this technology to expand its presence in the fixed broadband market and monetize excess mobile capacity. The company opted for a full-scale 5G rollout and in October 2019, when it commercially launched its 5G network, mobile and its FWA services were immediately available at its 2,600 sites covering 27 cities. Now it looks like this. This allowed Zain to quickly expand his 5G FWA subscriber base. We have over 800,000 FWA connections and our subscriber base is doubling every year.
This is an impressive success story for a variety of reasons, including:
- Availability: Zain’s 5G network currently covers 5,000 active 5G sites in over 65 cities, making FWA 5G available in many locations without fiber broadband.
- Ease of installation: FWA is quick and easy to install compared to alternative fixed broadband technologies. This benefit has been particularly significant during Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, when face-to-face contact has been limited and demand for first-time broadband adopters has soared as the transition to remote working and education. It was important.
- Flexibility: Users benefit from the portability of FWA routers along with plug-and-play installation. This feature helps provide uninterrupted service even if you move for any reason.
Zane is building on his early success and preparing for the next phase of his FWA strategy. This operator updated his FWA proposition in July 2023 and introduced a new set of FWA tiers that cater to different user preferences. The entry-level 5G Home Basic Plus service plan is aimed at existing 4G FWA users who don’t require the full 5G experience. This package comes with a 5G RedCap router, which allows Zain to offer his 5G FWA service at a lower price, while offering 30% better performance and 50% less energy usage compared to 4G FWA products. will be done.
Zain offers three additional service plans. 5G Home Plus; and 5G Home Premium. These plans vary by maximum available speed and included content subscription. Here, the role of 5G-Advanced is clear. This technology will enable Zain to offer more tiered service plans with better uplink and download data rates. It also allows carriers to differentiate plans based on additional characteristics such as latency, which could increase the adoption of GeForce NOW cloud gaming services.
The improvements that 5G-Advanced brings in terms of increased capacity will also be important for Zain, given that the technology already accounts for 25 percent to 30 percent of Saudi Arabia’s network traffic. We believe this share will further grow in the coming years as the evolution of 5G drives the adoption of his FWA in new customer segments and solidifies Zain’s position as a pioneer of his 5G FWA globally. You can
