5G technology has gone through nearly four years since it was officially commercialized in 2019. As a key technology leading a new round of industrial revolution, China has made remarkable achievements in 5G technology. With the continuous development and popularization of 5G networks around the world, we are gradually entering a new era, that is, the era of 5G-Advanced (5G-A). As an upgrade to 5G technology, 5G-A will further optimize network performance, improve user experience, and bring unprecedented innovation opportunities to various industries. In this process, ZTE, as the world's leading communications equipment manufacturer, is actively investing in research and development, promoting the commercial process of 5G-A, and injecting new vitality into the second take-off of 5G.
5G-A: Enabling a new round of technological innovation
As an upgraded version of 5G technology, 5G-A will achieve significant improvements in network speed, latency, and number of connections. Compared to 5G, 5G-A will further increase network throughput, achieve ultra-low latency in milliseconds, and support more devices to connect simultaneously. This will enable 5G-A to meet the needs of more complex and diverse application scenarios, such as autonomous driving, telemedicine, and Industry 40 etc.
As of the end of November, the total number of 5G base stations in China has reached 32820,000, with 7 5G mobile** users7.1 billion households, and 5G DOU (the total amount of traffic generated by users per month) is four times that of the beginning of commercial use. In addition, the total number of IoT connections has reached 22600 million, the number of industry private networks has reached 20,000, and 67 of the major categories of the national economy have been covered by 5G.
Li Xiaotong, Vice President of ZTE and General Manager of RAN Products, summarized the advantages of 5G in three scenarios in an interview with CCID.com at the 5G-A** Salon with the theme of "Innovation, Convergence and Openness": EMBB (ultra-wideband), MMTC (large connection) and ULLC (low latency and high reliability). On ultra-wideband, from gigabit connections to 10 gigabit connections;In terms of large connections, from 10 billion connections to 100 billion connections;In terms of low latency and high reliability, it supports the expansion of the industry with higher certainty.
However, with the continuous emergence of new technologies and applications, the current 5G network faces many challenges. Emerging services such as low-altitude security, XR, vehicle-road coordination, and direct connection to satellites and mobile phones have put forward higher requirements for 5G networks. In order to meet these needs, 5G-A technology has emerged, which will be enhanced in three directions: EMBB (ultra-wideband), MMTC (large connection), and ULLC (low latency and high reliability), and at the same time add six new scenarios, including global synaesthesia, ubiquitous intelligence, and air-space-ground integration.
ZTE's leading position in 5G-A R&D
As an important player in the global communication equipment market, ZTE has been committed to the R&D and innovation of 5G technology. In the field of 5G-A, ZTE has achieved remarkable R&D results and actively participates in the formulation of international standards. It has not only made breakthroughs in key 5G-A technologies, but also successfully launched a variety of base stations and terminal equipment that support 5G-A, providing comprehensive solutions for operators and enterprise users.
In the second half of 5G, technological innovation has become the key. ZTE has launched ultra-high-bandwidth AAU equipment and 128-channel base station equipment, further expanding the traffic capacity and solving the problem of insufficient capacity under 5G large traffic.
In the field of TO C, 5G-A will bring about a disruptive change in the interaction model. Immersive experiences such as glasses-free 3D and XR will become a new form of social interaction and change people's lifestyles. At the same time, migrating services to the cloud will also reduce terminal costs and improve data security.
In the field of to B, ZTE integrates network equipment and computing power equipment to form a product that integrates computing and network to meet the needs of factories for equipment simplification. In addition, the low-altitude economy is also a potential direction in the field of to B. The rapid development of the drone industry will open up new application models, such as drone food delivery.
ZTE promotes the commercialization of 5G-A
ZTE has not only achieved remarkable results in technology research and development, but also played an active role in promoting the commercial process of 5G-A. We have established close cooperative relationships with many operators around the world to jointly promote the trial and deployment of 5G-A networks. At the same time, ZTE also actively participates in the activities of international organizations to promote the formulation and improvement of 5G-A related standards, providing strong support for the global 5G-A commercial process.
Li Xiaotong said that ZTE has achieved remarkable results in the application of 5G industry, covering 67 economic categories, and more than 9 related applications40,000. However, these applications are mainly concentrated in the fields of monitoring, backhaul, mobile office and robot inspection, and the value creation of core production links is still insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to further enhance the capabilities of 5G and continue to work with partners to promote the development and application of 5G-A technology to meet the needs of more complex and critical applications.
Innovation opportunities and challenges brought by 5G-A
The 5G-A era provides us with unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Through continuous R&D and innovation, ZTE is striving to promote the popularization and deepening of 5G-A technology in industry applications. Their exploration and practice have not only injected new vitality into their own development, but also set an example for the entire communication industry.
For example, in the field of autonomous driving, the high speed and low latency characteristics of 5G-A will enable vehicles to perceive their surroundings in real time and make quick decisionsIn the field of telemedicine, 5G-A will provide doctors with high-definition, real-time remote diagnosis and advanced means;In Industry 4In the 0 field, 5G-A will enable efficient interconnection and data transmission between equipment and systems in the factory. At the same time, it also faces many challenges such as network security, device compatibility, and spectrum resources. The solution to these problems requires the joint efforts of enterprises, enterprises and scientific research institutions to form a joint force to promote the healthy development of 5G-A.
Bai Gang, vice president of ZTE and general manager of system products MKT, said in an interview with CCID that how to make advanced communication technology better empower industry applications and further release its potential is a major challenge in front of us. ZTE, as a global leader in communication technology, is actively exploring and practicing to empower thousands of industries through 5G-A.
In order to meet the needs of industry applications, ZTE faces two major challenges. First of all, it is necessary to improve the certainty, reliability and large uplink capability of the 5G network. For example, in some machine vision applications, existing 5G networks may not be able to meet bandwidth requirements and require 5G-A technology to further improve. Second, it is necessary to solve the special needs of industry applications, such as the compatibility of industrial control protocols and self-service operation and maintenance.
In order to meet these challenges, ZTE has made two major technological breakthroughs. According to Baigang, first of all, ZTE has successfully combined connection and computing power and launched a computing network all-in-one machine to solve the needs of computing power and connection in industry applications. This device not only provides 5G connectivity, but also computing power and an application deployment platform, greatly simplifying the deployment process. Secondly, the "three free self-service" operation and maintenance solution has been launched, allowing factories to plan, design, operate and maintain the network by themselves, reducing costs and improving the acceptance of the industry.
ZTE helps 5G take off for the second time
This salon event not only demonstrated ZTE's leading strength in the 5G-A field, but also further strengthened the industry's confidence in the development of 5G-A technology. With the continuous maturity and widespread application of 5G-A technology, a more intelligent, efficient, and secure digital future is coming.
We have reason to believe that 5G-A will have a broader and deeper impact on all walks of life. ZTE's exploration and practice provide us with a valuable reference and let us see the infinite possibilities of 5G-A empowerment industry. However, to achieve this goal, it still requires the joint efforts and cooperation of enterprises, enterprises and scientific research institutions.
It is hoped that through close cooperation with global partners and continuous innovation of technical strength, ZTE will bring more efficient, convenient and secure communication experience to users around the world. We believe that with the joint efforts of ZTE and other enterprises, the second take-off of 5G will become a reality, injecting new vitality into the progress and development of human society. (Written by Xu Peiyan).