Communication World Network News （CWW） 2024 is the first year to fully implement the deployment of the National New Industrialization Promotion Conference, and also a key year for 5G-A's innovative development. As a key stage in the evolution of mobile communication technology from 5G to 6G, 5G-A will further enhance 5G network capabilities and expand 5G application dimensions.
On May 17, 2024, the 5G-A Construction and Application Innovation Forum was held in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Wang Zhiqin, Vice President of the China Academy of Information and Communications, gave an in-depth introduction to the development and application of 5G-A technology. By analyzing the evolution process of 5G-A technology industry, this paper explores how to realize the commercial application of 5G-A technology through the improvement and coverage expansion of network broadband capability.
China's 5G network takes the lead in the world, and the scale of integrated application is promoted
"China's 5G network construction has always followed the principle of" moderately leading ", effectively supporting the large-scale application of 5G and the innovative development of the digital economy." Wang Zhiqin said that at present, 5G has entered the evolution stage, and 5G-A is the intermediate stage of 5G to 6G evolution, which will play a key role in connecting the past and the future, defining new goals and capabilities for 5G development, and laying the foundation for 6G development.
As we all know, 5G-A has six application scenarios and three types of technology evolution directions. Wang Zhiqin said that these six application scenarios are just similar to the future 6G application scenarios, so the 5G-A phase will continue to improve the 5G performance to achieve efficient 10 gigabit rate, 100 billion IoT and deterministic networks. In addition, 5G-A has also developed three fusion technologies and application scenarios, including synaesthesia fusion, intelligent network, and the integration of heaven and earth.
At the same time, the six application scenarios of 5G-A can be summarized into three categories of technology evolution directions: first, broadband capability and efficiency improvement; Second, fine design for vertical industries; The third is the exploration of new technology.
First of all, 5G-A will achieve the capability of "10 gigabit downlink and 10 gigabit uplink". Compared with 5G, the uplink and downlink speed of 5G-A will increase by 10 times. On the to C side, application scenarios such as live video with goods, 3D holographic experience, autopilot, and machine vision put forward higher requirements for uplink speed. 5G-A further realizes speed and bandwidth improvement through key enabling technologies such as new frequency band support, tri band carrier convergence, high and low frequency carrier convergence, super array MIMO, duplex evolution, and flexible spectrum access.
Secondly, 5G RedCap can meet the low-cost and performance requirements of the Internet of Things. Wang Zhiqin said that the R18 based 5G eRedCap (ultra lightweight 5G) has the characteristics of low power consumption, low cost, and also has 5G's own new capabilities such as low latency, network slicing, 5GuRLLC, 5GLAN, and high-precision time service. It is a relatively mature technology in the industry at present. This year, major operators have started the deployment of RedCap network upgrades, It is expected that RedCap will be commercially available in 2025.
Finally, synaesthesia integration is an innovative exploration technology to support low altitude economy and explore new scenarios. "In the evolution from 5G-A to 6G, the existing network is not only limited to communication, but also increases the development of multi-dimensional and multi technology such as perception and intelligence, so synaesthesia integration is a good attempt at the 5G stage." Wang Zhiqin said that at present, in the process of low altitude economic development, unmanned aircraft supervision and obstacle avoidance, intelligent transportation Application scenarios such as smart ocean and forestry place high expectations on 5G-A, but generally speaking, perception and communication are still two different technical systems in the 5G phase, with large differences in design, so there are still many problems to be solved in the specific network planning and construction process.
Promote the development of 5G-A technology industry by classification and step by step
Although the road is endless and faraway, I still want to pursue the truth in the world. The application scenarios based on 5G-A have been put on paper, but the classification and requirements of each application scenario are different, and the evolution direction of the product needs to be taken step by step. In this regard, Wang Zhiqin believes that the 5G-A network should be deployed on demand, that is, on the 5G "bottom-up network", as required.
He introduced that the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group had carried out the function and performance test of the 5G-A pre commercial equipment in the early stage, including the key technology test of uplink and downlink ultra wideband, and the test of XR enhanced equipment based on R18 standard scheme. At the same time, the IMT-2020 (5G) promotion group also tested the capability of synaesthesia equipment and the enhancement technology scheme for the actual needs of application scenarios.
Wang Zhiqin finally stressed that 5G-A is a bridge connecting 5G and 6G. Our country has explored and practiced 5G and 5G-A applications, done a good job in 5G-A industrial and commercial applications, and prepared for 6G. ITU and 3GPP have begun to study the 6G vision and business requirements. Actively maintain the core position of ITU and 3GPP in the formulation of 6G international standards, and encourage all parties in the global industry to closely communicate and reach consensus to form a global unified 6G international standard. China will work hand in hand with all sectors of the global industry to jointly promote 5G-A and 6G innovation and development, and help global digital technology innovation and sustainable development.
