The March to 5G Advanced
5G. Rarely has there been a technology that has sparked so much excitement while simultaneously evoking incredible cynicism regarding its capabilities. With the industry’s rush to be first to market with 5G-based service offerings, it would be safe to say that the technology’s impact (at least initially) was a smidge overstated. Despite the inevitable backlash to our industry’s marketing claims (including a few from yours truly) 5G continues to be the fastest-growing generation of wireless cellular technology, achieving the same number of connections (380 million) in seven quarters that it took 4G LTE nineteen quarters to achieve (5G Americas, 2022).
What’s more, 5G use among consumers continues to grow. A recent report from Deloitte 2022 found that the percentage of U.S. consumers with a 5G device rose from 56% in 2021 to 68% in 2022. A quarter of respondents said that they’re watching more streaming video thanks to 5G, and one-quarter of ‘Gen Z’ respondents said they’re gaming more on their 5G phones than in the past. These figures count as a victory, right?
While it is accurate that 5G has made major inroads with consumers, that same report found that close to two-thirds of respondents said they want a better understanding of the new capabilities 5G offers. “Most users are doing what they already did with 4G, just faster and with better performance,” finds Deloitte. “They do not yet see any new revolutionary applications enabled by the technology.”
Much of that is poised to change as 5G continues to evolve. These changes are coming with the most recent releases of 5G from the international standardization body for cellular telecommunications technologies, 3GPP. This organization, of which Intel is a strategic contributor, is making these moves via Release 17 and soon with Release 18, also known as 5G Advanced.
As a quick background for those unfamiliar with this process, 3GPP is an international organization of technology vendors, service providers, and vertical market users coordinating the development of and specifications for cellular telecommunications technologies like 5G and 4G/LTE before it. Given the immense complexity of these technologies, 3GPP uses a system of sequential (but overlapping) “Releases,” which provide developers with a stable platform for the implementation of features at a given point and then allow for the addition of new functionality in the subsequent Releases.
3GPP released the first full set of 5G standards (Release 15) in 2018, making key upgrades to the 5G technology in Releases 16 (2020) and, most recently, Release 17 (2022). 5G Advanced will introduce additional improvements, as well as some significant new additions that will truly change how consumers and businesses view 5G.
Let’s start with a look at Release 17 (Rel-17), which was released earlier this year and sets the stage for 5G Advanced in Release 18 (Rel-18). The overall objective of Rel-17 is to upgrade overall 5G performance for both mobile broadband and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) capabilities, as well as add new capabilities such as affordable and flexible Reduced Capability (RedCap) NR and 5G satellite support.
By doing so, Rel-17 enables some new use cases, particularly for specific vertical markets, including manufacturing, smart cities, and healthcare. For example, Rel-17 improvements in MIMO include; multiple transmission and reception points (mTRP) for ultra-reliable, low-latency communication (URLLC) and for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB).
Rel-17 brings a new level of positioning and location accuracy, allowing for targeting in the 20-30 cm range. That is ideal for factory automation use cases. In addition, Rel-17 provides support for new functions such as 5G Proximity Services, 5G multicast-broadcast services, advanced interactive services, support for edge computing, enhancements for devices having multiple USIMs, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) connectivity, identification, and tracking.
With Rel-18 and the introduction of 5G Advanced, 5G introduces capabilities beyond simple performance enhancements to unlock new use cases and applications that can transform industries. It accomplishes this by introducing distributed intelligence into wireless networks by applying AI/ML-based techniques at different levels of the network, for example, for network self-optimization and radio interface operation.
Leveraging these new techniques, 5G Advanced will begin to deliver the transformational functionality that was a big part of the initial “sale” of 5G services. Some of the capabilities include high-precision 5G positioning, optimized support for XR applications, and advanced Sidelink device-to-device (D2D) communication.
These capabilities, in turn, unlock a host of new use cases, including:
- Decentralized Web3 applications
- Location-based use cases
- Network slicing, aka differentiated services depending upon application type and service level agreements needed
- Augmented, virtual, and extended reality use cases
- Advanced automation of sophisticated systems
- Hyper-advanced time-series networking applications
- Superior customer experiences for retail
- Advanced robotics implementations in healthcare and manufacturing
- Distributed intelligence for advanced edge computing architectures
Keeping in mind that the architecture of 5G Advanced is a service-based architecture - we can be assured of many use cases in which we are innovative and even disruptive. Industrial IoT services are likely to benefit, as industrial areas have “danger zones” in which energy-efficient IoT devices are required to be used frequently at precise locations. The Rel-18 update aims at specifying requirements for such high-accuracy and low-power positioning services for industrial IoT scenarios.
We can expect the uptake for these new 5G releases to come at a similar pace to its current speed. For example, ABI Research predicts that 75% of 5G base stations will be upgraded to 5G Advanced by 2030.
All of these advances are steps on the road to even more advanced wireless technologies, including eventually 6G in the 2030 timeframe. The global ecosystem is just beginning to get its arms around 6G’s defined attributes, but Intel is actively participating in this process with its international partners.
In conclusion, 5G’s ongoing evolution will focus more on the overall experience that 5G delivers rather than relatively straightforward performance upgrades. This sea change in functionality will not only change the industry but also likely change 5G’s perception among consumers as they begin to experience the new services these advances will enable.
Asha Keddy has 25+ years of experience at Intel as a patent-holding engineer and technology futurist building enterprise systems and defining policies that transform working and living environments. Ms. Keddy continues to serve as a pivotal force at Intel in the creation of the multi-trillion dollar 5G market opportunity. In this role, she has executed incubation efforts, product development, industry forums, standards creation, ecosystem enablement, and policy governance.
Building on her experience as Intel’s 5G exec sponsor, she currently serves as Corporate Vice President and General Manager for Intel’s Next Generation Systems & Standards business unit. Keddy leads global efforts to build the next generation of distributed intelligence and advanced connectivity including 6G, the latest class of Wi-Fi technology, and more, thus empowering the creation of transformative and sustainable opportunities beyond Intel’s current playbook.
Keddy is a highly networked industry thought leader, and a global spokesperson providing insights to government agencies, the media, analysts, academia, and investors. She has served as a representative before Congress and international government agencies including testimonies to the senate on 5G. Keddy helped establish Intel as a leader within key wireless, industrial and edge standards bodies, and multiple industry fora, such as the 3GPP, IEEE, Wi-Fi Alliance, ETSI and Open-RAN. Keddy is a founder and advisor to Innovative Optical Wireless Network (IOWN GF) and has served or serves as long time director on the board of directors of Wi-Fi Alliance, 5G Americas, and CTIA. In April 2022, she joined Smith Micro Software (SMSI)’s as an independent Board Director.
Keddy holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai. She is an alumna of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business as part of the Intel Executive Accelerator Program. She is an avid advocate for women and minorities in technology. Residing in Portland, Oregon, Asha is an avid enthusiast for sustainability and the great outdoors. She enjoys kayaking, hiking, and spending time in nature with her family.