MWC 2017: In race for 5G technology

Even though the Mobile World Congress (MWC) is popularly known for revelation of new flagship phones, the biggest thing in Barcelona this year is the fifth generation mobile network, that doesn’t yet exit.

Telecom operators have long been racing to develop the new fifth generation (5G) of mobile networks which could empower both smartphones, for lightning-quick downloads, and driverless technology, for autonomous connections to traffic systems.

Commercialisation of 5G isn’t expected to start before 2020, as companies and governments are yet required to standardise norms for smooth 5G use across the globe, however, the race to bring 5G evolution has begun on the sidelines of the MWC.

What is 5G?

In the evolution of mobile networks, the next-generation mobile network is 5G—a network which is expected to boost range and speed that the current 4G and 3G couldn’t cope to deliver. In simple terms, 5G will enable subscribers to download a full HD film in less than one second, breaking the 1Gbps barrier—up to 10 times faster than the first generation of 4G services widely in use today.

According to National Infrastructure Commission, “5G means seamless connectivity. It will be ultra-fast, ultra- reliable, ultra-high capacity transmitting at super low latency, will support the ever larger data requirements of the existing network and new applications from augmented reality to connected vehicles and the Internet of Things, and many more, as unknowable today as the 4G services we take for granted would have been a decade ago.”

Who will deploy it?

While South Korea is planning to use the Olympic Winter Games in February 2018 to test 5G on the hundreds of thousands of spectators, India also interested in providing the next generation telecom technology as early as possible, unlike the 3G and 4G technologies which were rolled out far later in the country.

“We were late in 3G and 4G and we are very keen that India should not be deprived of 5G,” Telecom Secretary J.S. Deepak.

For India, Samsung and Reliance Jio, together, are seeking to upgrade the current long-term evolution (LTE) mobile communication services regardless of users’ location.

Samsung on Feb. 28 announced its ‘Infill & Growth Project’ for Reliance Jio Infocomm in India to upgrade current LTE mobile communication services across the country by expanding both network capacity as well as network coverage.

Utilizing spectrum in the 850, 1800 and 2300MHz bands, it will enable seamless indoor and outdoor coverage in dense urban areas. The project will also extend Jio’s superiority in rural areas by expanding its reach to over 90 per cent of the population.

“We will strive to create new paradigms for LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G by closely cooperating with Jio as a unified workforce,” said Youngky Kim, President and Head of Network Business at Samsung Electronics.

In South Korea, KT mobile operator wants to give spectators what it hopes will be their first 5G experience. Speaking at the high-profile expo, KT chief executive Chang-Gyu Hwang promised that 5G would bring "dramatic changes."

"KT will introduce brand new services that have not ever been possible with the radio technologies of the current generations," a spokesman for the South Korean firm added.

In the United Sates, AT&T and Verizon have begun testing 5G networking to certain customers in some cities.

"We're going to see pretty significant roll-outs of 5G in the United States, and the first commercial services could even be available by the end of the year," Frederic Pujol, a technology expert at the IDATE consulting firm told AFP.

In UK, the government has dedicated £740m to be used for the development of 5G, but hasn’t mentioned any launch date for the service.

Qualcomm and Ericsson have partnered to accelerate 5G New Radio (NR) in Japan and Australia.

Who is ready for it?

On the eve of the start of the MWC, Chinese telecom giant ZTE unveiled its first Gigabit Phone what it said is the world's first smartphone compatible with the lightening-fast 5G mobile internet service that networks expect to have up and running by 2020.

"With the new device, the way people stay connected will be changed forever. Focusing on 5G technologies will be one of the key priorities of ZTE's global development," a ZTE spokesman said.

The device is powered by Snapdragon 835’s advanced X16 LTE modem along with 4x4 MIMO antenna technology and 256-QM modulation. The device will reportedly allow users to experience 360-degree panoramic Virtual Reality video and fast downloads of ultra Hi-Fi audio and videos.

Another Chinese tech giant, Huawei released the first 5G networking slicing router at the MWC.  The routing protocols of different network slices can be independently configured to provide physically isolated slices for traditional 2G/3G/4G/5G.

Chip maker Qualcomm also announced the expansion of its Snapdragon X50 5G modem family to accelerate 5G New Radio (NR) standardisation.

The newly released modem will embed technology for 2G/3G/4G/5G connection onto one chip, which would provide connectivity across 4G and 5G networks.

Moreover, Qualcomm is partnering with Ericsson and Vodafone to test 5G interoperability. The Snapdragon X50 family are expected to support the first large-scale 5G NR trials and commercial launches starting in 2019.