The Maturing 10 Gbit/s Industry and Fast Growth to 100 Bn Connections Are Bringing 5.5G into Reality

SHENZHEN, China, April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Huawei Global Analyst Summit 2023, Gan Bin, Huawei's Vice President of Wireless Solution, delivered a keynote speech, titled "Bringing 5.5G into Reality". He claims that the fast convergence of the 5.5G industry chain and business scenarios is bringing 5.5G into reality, which will bring new opportunities to the whole industry.

As the industry chain and business scenarios get ready, 10 Gbit/s capability is becoming a reality.

10 Gbit/s business scenarios are ready: The experience of people and home connections is being upgraded. Consumer mobile services have become increasingly immersive and interactive, while home large-screen services are transiting to 3D and HD formats. Such service changes require an upgrade of network experience from 1.0 marked by ubiquitous gigabit to 2.0 marked by 5.5G's 10 Gbit/s downlink, Gbit/s uplink, and deterministic experience.

10 Gbit/s ultra-large bandwidth spectrum and chipsets are ready: Spectrum and chipsets are the cornerstone of 10 Gbit/s experience. So far, the existing sub-6GHz spectrum is starting to be refarmed to achieve ultra-large bandwidth. While mmWave, which is a key part of 5.5G spectrum, has been allocated in 25 countries, which ensures that 10 Gbit/s capability can be implemented. At the same time, 5.5G chipsets that support 10 Gbit/s services have been released to enable 10 component carriers on mmWave and 5 component carriers on sub-6GHz. The cornerstone of 10 Gbit/s experience has been set.

10 Gbit/s products are ready and ELAA-MM is going to support full frequency bands: Massive MIMO which supports extremely large antenna array (ELAA-MM) helps operators provide continuous 10 Gbit/s coverage on the sub-6GHz TDD spectrum. This allows 4.9 GHz and 6 GHz to deliver the same levels of performance as 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz, respectively. On mmWave spectrum, ELAA-MM is being used to overcome mobility and coverage problems and achieve ubiquitous high-speed mobility. Similarly, on the sub-3GHz FDD spectrum, the combo of ELAA-MM and MBSC enables more deterministic experience.

According to Mr. Gan, 10 Gbit/s and deterministic experience will be crucial to the evolution of 5.5G towards Experience 2.0 and improve network deployment. Ultra-large bandwidth spectrum and ELAA-MM across all bands will, in turn, support this and play a crucial role in enabling rapid network deployment.

Secondly, 100 billion connections will become a reality soon. The transition from IoT 1.0 to IoT 2.0 will require an upgrade of high-speed and high-value connections (5G NR) to "all-scenario connections". This will enable 100 billion all-factor connections across all scenarios and processes.

Commercial RedCap applications are scaling up: RedCap chipsets, modules, and terminals are rapidly maturing, and by the end of 2023, there will be more than 50 types of commercial RedCap terminals. This will allow RedCap to be widely commercialized in various scenarios, such as smart power, smart security, and smart manufacturing.

Passive IoT is rapidly maturing: Passive IoT is a technology that will enable all-scenario connections. Such connections are critical for visibility in end-to-end logistics and production processes, and can increase factory production efficiency by 10–30%. This passive IoT industry is rapidly developing, with terminal tag prototypes already available for use, and spectrum, product forms, and business models actively being defined in different markets.

Harmonized Communication and Sensing (HCS) is being actively explored: HCS technologies provide even more connections and enhanced capabilities which can create new businesses for operators. Research into sensing over new frequency mmWave and legacy spectrum is already underway. These sensing capabilities can benefit a number of scenarios from smart transportation to smart ocean and low-altitude drone flight applications.

Gan closed out his speech by saying, "5.5G is just around the corner and will bring new breakthroughs and development to mobile networks. The 10 Gbit/s industry is now a reality. It will soon bring us 100 billion connections and endless possibilities for the future of smart living and digital economy. Huawei is committed to working with the entire industry to promote the convergence of the 5.5G industry chain and business scenarios and facilitate the transformation towards a digital and intelligent society."

SOURCE Huawei