At the recent 2022 Global Mobile Broadband Forum “5.5G and the Smart World 2030” media roundtable, GSMA Chief Technology Officer Alex Sinclair said that according to the 3GPP standards rhythm, 5.5G is expected to enter the commercial phase in 2024. He emphasized that recent generations of mobile networks have typically had a 10-year intergenerational lifecycle, with a watershed moment around year 5. 2.5G, 3.5G and 4.5G have all delivered significant performance enhancements, network management efficiencies and energy consumption reductions, and 5.5G will do the same.
“5.5G is the result of the natural evolution of mobile communication technology.” According to Walid Mathlouthi, director of the ITU’s Future Networks and Spectrum Management Division, uplink and downlink speeds, coverage and latency are the three main indicators of mobile network quality, and 5.5G will undoubtedly be a significant improvement on 5G. The spectrum will be a very important aspect. The issuance of ultra-large bandwidth spectrum and full uplink spectrum usage patterns are topics of common concern for the global industry chain, requiring all parties in the industry to work together to discuss and collaborate deeply in all aspects of the network, ecology and business to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the industry.
The above views were shared by Huawei 5.5G General Manager Gao Quanzhong. As an upgraded version of 5G, 5.5G will become the backbone of the digital economy with its signature 10 Gigabit downlink, Gigabit uplink, 100 billion connections and endogenous intelligence. Gao Quanzhong believes that downlink 10Gbps and millisecond latency will build a bridge between the virtual world and the real world, enabling the development of MR, XR and meta-universe industries at scale. Passive IoT technology with 5.5G will revolutionize the mobile IoT terminal by taking away the battery and enabling hundreds of billions of connections. Passive IoT can provide the ability to go beyond connectivity and integrate communication and sensing technologies, providing the possibility for broader application scenario innovation. “In summary, 5.5G will have continued enhancements over 5G, such as a 10x increase in network speed and new IoT and sensing capabilities.” Gao Quanzhong said.
“5.5G will have a major impact on the industry.” Michael Dowling, a member of the German National Academy of Engineering and a founding team member of Industry 4.0, believes that Industry 4.0 and the future of the industry cannot be developed without the iteration of the Internet of Things. Looking at production practices in Germany, factories equipped with 5G have often achieved better IoT, with dramatic improvements in productivity, more and better services for consumers, and in some cases sustainable production, believing that 5.5G will continue to drive change.
“The evolution of the metaverse requires a significant upgrade in communication networks, and we look forward to the surprises that 5.5G will bring.” Moon Jerin, founder and CEO of Aeindri Protocol and former Women’s Leadership Chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, said that high immersion, low latency, and anytime, anywhere are key elements of the metaverse, which places higher demands on the network, especially to enhance the experience in scenarios such as virtual social, metaverse gaming, and immersive coworking, where existing network conditions fall short.
5.5G, as an upgraded version of 5G, with its signature 10 Gigabit downlink, Gigabit uplink, 100 billion connections, endogenous intelligence, and other capabilities, will empower the future of the Internet of Vehicles, Internet of Things, robotics, manufacturing, and other industry sectors.
