5G is a continuously evolving technology, and 5G Advanced (referred to as "5G-A") represents a new phase in the evolution of 5G technology, ushering in a fresh wave of technical innovations. Moreover, 5G-A supports faster data transfer rates for both upload and download, as well as lower latency, further aiding the digital transformation and innovative development across various industries.
At the recent MWC 2024 conference, 5G-A was a major point of interest among many exhibitors and attendees. Qualcomm showcased a series of evolutionary innovations to push the development of 5G-A forward, including the latest expansion of the 5G millimeter wave network. This prototype network can achieve hybrid beamforming to enhance multi-user MIMO performance and terminal mobility. Additionally, the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in mobile communications is a significant feature of 5G-A. In this area, Qualcomm, in collaboration with Nokia Bell Labs, demonstrated how sequential learning could empower a multi-vendor wireless AI system. Furthermore, Qualcomm also presented a prototype system designed for AI-assisted millimeter wave beam management, which now supports spatial beam prediction.
During an interview at MWC 2024, Meng Pu, Chairman of Qualcomm China, further emphasized that 5G-A will support additional enhanced features. This includes RedCap for lightweight IoT devices, enhanced industrial IoT, and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), extending the reach of 5G into broader industries. Qualcomm, a crucial force in the development, commercialization, and scale implementation of 5G, collaborates with global industry partners, including leading Chinese enterprises, to drive the evolution of 5G-A. This effort aims to facilitate 5G's penetration into a wider range of industries and applications while laying the technological groundwork for 6G.
As a global leader in wireless technology innovation, Qualcomm continues to spearhead the innovative development of mobile communication technologies, from 3G and 4G to 5G. Throughout the 5G standardization process, Qualcomm contributed significantly to key 5G innovations, such as advanced channel coding and license-free spectrum technologies, consistently enhancing the performance of 5G systems. Additionally, Qualcomm's 5G innovations targeted at vertical industries, such as C-V2X in the automotive sector and RedCap in the IoT domain, contribute to the expansion of 5G from smartphones to various industries.
In the 5G-A phase, Qualcomm continues to collaborate with the industry to drive standardization and technological evolution. For instance, in the second version of the 5G-A standard, Rel-19, the industry aims to support new enhanced use cases beyond mobile broadband and vertical services such as smartphones and IoT. This includes Ambient IoT, further streamlining support for 5G IoT beyond RedCap and Enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC)/Narrowband (NB) IoT. Rel-19 will initially explore different architectures and design options for ultra-low complexity 5G terminals.
In the realm of Extended Reality (XR), Rel-19 will make additional improvements in XR traffic scheduling, terminal energy efficiency, and latency enhancement to enhance user experience. Satellite communication, which has gained significant attention in recent years, will also see enhancements in Rel-19. It will further increase the uplink capacity for IoT-NTN and NR-NTN, along with added support for regenerated payload. Additionally, NR-NTN will enhance downlink coverage, extending support for Multicast Broadcast Service (MBS) and RedCap to NTN.
Additionally, 5G-Advanced (5G-A) represents a crucial phase transitioning from 5G towards 6G, with some projects in Release 19 exploring the technological possibilities that key enabling factors of 6G, such as the application of new frequency bands, might bring. During MWC 2024, Qualcomm showcased the world’s first ultra-massive MIMO antenna prototype system designed for operation in the 13GHz band, aiding the wireless communication industry in exploring the utilization of new spectrums in mid-to-high frequency bands, preparing for the advent of the 6G era. Moreover, Qualcomm also demonstrated practical applications using new spectrum in the 140GHz band for point-to-multipoint communication and dynamically reconfigurable point-to-point wireless links for data centers, laying the groundwork for the future commercial deployment of Sub-Terahertz (Sub-THz) frequency bands, thereby continuously driving the advancement of mobile communication technology.
To propel the commercialization process of 5G-A, Qualcomm released several major products during MWC 2024, including the Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System. The Snapdragon X80 architecture, integrating 5G-A capabilities, is the first fully integrated modem to support Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) satellite communications, facilitating terminal connections to non-terrestrial networks. The Snapdragon X80 is ready to support 5G-A across multiple product segments, including smartphones, mobile broadband, PCs, XR, automotive, industrial IoT, private networks, and fixed wireless access. Meng Pu revealed that commercial terminals equipped with Snapdragon X80 are expected to be launched in the second half of 2024.
Meng Pu stated, "In the technical evolution process of communication standards, Qualcomm has always been accelerating breakthrough innovations and widespread adoption of cutting-edge technologies." Qualcomm is collaborating with industry partners to spark a new wave of innovation and cooperation, aiming to explore and implement more scenarios, applications, and cases around 5G-Advanced, with the hope of enabling more people worldwide to enjoy 5G services.
