It might be a little late to share my thoughts, but the ideas and trends I saw are too important to not talk about. So, here's my take on the incredible things from Day 3 that are setting the stage for the future.
For day 3 of the MWC, my focus was to get a glimpse into the future of connectivity. After multiple rounds of discussions with various ecosystem stakeholders including infrastructure and equipment vendors, mobile operators, software vendors and semiconductor manufacturers, the key trends that emerged were:
- 5.5G is ready for commercialization by end of 2024 or early 2025: 5.5G, also known as 5G-Advanced (5G-A), is the next phase in the evolution and enhancement of 5G. It offers 10 times improvement in terms of network capabilities, offering download speeds of 10Gbps, upload speeds of 1Gbps, the ability to support up to 100 billion IOT connections, ultra-low latency of 1 ms, and support for centimeter-level positioning instead of meter-level positioning. At the event multiple vendors like
华为
,
中兴
and
Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company(YOFC)
showcased their 5.5G products. It’s not just a vendor push; globally, operators are joining the 5.5G bandwagon too. The Middle East has already formed a general consensus on 5.5G development, with all six members of the GCC having completed 5.5G 10 Gbps rate verification and incubation of new services such as RedCap and passive IOT. Additionally, Middle East operators
Zain KSA
,
du
, and
stc Kuwait
, signed MoUs with Huawei at the event pertaining to 5.5G. In Asia, the three major operators in China –
中国移动
,
China Telecom Global
, and
中国联通
– have all started 5.5G network deployment in major cities while operators in Hong Kong have completed 5.5G tests. In Europe, Finnish operators have concluded 5.5G technology verification on commercial networks. Use cases for 5.5G across enterprise and consumer segments include HD quality inspection, telemedicine, Internet of Vehicles, smart stadiums, glasses-free 3D, VR gaming, 8K HDR videos, and many more.
- ?It’s a dawn for the 6G era: Although 5.5G remains the immediate focus of operators and vendors, concrete discussions for 6G have begun. While the 6G standards are yet to be defined by 3GPP, we saw new alliances being formed to drive standardization and commercialization of 6G. For instance, the
AI-RAN Alliance
was launched at the event which has 11 firms as founding members –
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
,
Arm
,
DeepSig, Inc.
,
爱立信
,
微软
,
诺基亚
, Northeastern University,
英伟达
,
三星电子
,
ソフトバンク
, and
T-Mobile
. One of their aims is to promote 6G innovation by combining AI and cellular technology. Those operators that didn’t join the alliance, didn’t want to get left behind. So, they made their own announcements. For instance,
Turkcell
signed an MoU with Ericsson Research to advance 6G research and development while just days before MWC, Nokia,
SK电讯
,
NTT DATA, Inc.
and
NTT DOCOMO
announced that they are partnering to develop the 6G AI-native air interface (AI-AI). Leading operators also presented their own visions for 6G. For instance, China Mobile defined it as a “mobile information network” that will seamlessly integrate capabilities for communications, sensing, computing, and AI. While 6G remains on the distant horizon, expected post-2030, its promise of integrating AI at a foundational level means that we can look forward to a future where things like holographic interactions, metaverse, and advanced predictive analytics become common.
- Satellite communications to get seamlessly integrated with cellular networks: There was a very strong presence from major satellite service providers such as
Intelsat
,
SES Satellites
and others at this year’s MWC. Now that NTN (non-terrestrial networks) standards are part of 3GPP, there is a massive momentum to integrate satellite with cellular services for both enterprises as well as consumers. The most common use case in the B2B scenario is connecting IOT devices.
Deutsche Telekom
(DT), for the first time announced commercial availability of satellite connectivity for IOT. It is partnering with Intelsat for stationary applications like wind and solar parks (critical infrastructure);
Viasat
for mobile applications targeting sectors like logistics, agriculture and maritime and;
Skylo
for satellite-based NB-IoT. DT is already working with Viasat subsidiary
Inmarsat
to provide airline passengers with satellite-based on-board communication through the European Aviation Network. Similarly,
仁宝
launched its NTN satellite solutions for IOT in collaboration with
联发科技
, Skylo, and others for sectors like smart grids, oil and gas, maritime communication, agricultural monitoring, asset tracking, traffic management, and others. Satellite communication will also become more accessible to consumers.
Thuraya Telecommunications Company
launched its SKYPHONE which is a consumer Android smartphone with satellite voice and SMS services. Similarly,
Ulefone
in partnership with Kigen and Skylo launched its rugged smartphone, the Armor 23 Ultra, which integrates two-way satellite messaging. These industry partnerships show that satellite connectivity could finally make the long-standing goal of ubiquitous coverage and connectivity a reality.
We stand on the cusp of transformative advancements in connectivity, the insights from MWC underscore the pivotal role of 5.5G, 6G, and integrated satellite communications in shaping our digital future. These technologies not only promise to redefine network availability and quality but also open new horizons for innovation across industries. As telcos and tech companies navigate this evolving landscape, it will be interesting to track their moves!
