As pre-standard 5G technology testing and field trials continue ahead of expected early commercialization in the 2020 timeframe, Intel is seeing continued adoption of its 5G Mobile Trial Platform product by major network infrastructure vendors including Ericsson and Nokia.
Intel’s trial platform can support multi-gigabit over the air speeds and addresses key aspects of 5G including multi-carrier, multi-device operations, advanced scheduling, 4×4 and 8×8 arrays, and broad RF support up in high-capacity millimeter wave frequencies. There’s also an iteration of the trial platform geared toward automotive use cases including very fast transmission of in-vehicle LIDAR, camera and other sensor information directly to the data center, as well as machine learning functionality and V2X connectivity.
Intel’s Kenneth Stewart, and Intel Fellow and chief wireless technologist for the Platform Engineering Group, wrote in a blog post, “The growing capabilities of Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platforms are bringing to life key experiences that will be made a reality through 5G.”
In conjunction with Finnish vendor Nokia, Intel has established innovation labs in Espoo, Finland, and Murray Hill, New Jersey; the facilities combine the trial platform with Nokia’s portfolio of network gear. Areas of research cover 5G, NB-IoT, data center and software platforms. Underlying 5G tech being jointly developed includes massive MIMO, small cells, network slicing, software-defined virtual RAN, and edge and cloud computing,” according to the companies.
“The networks of tomorrow must be powerful, agile, flexible and built upon open standards and virtualized infrastructure technology for delivery of intelligent edge services in the 5G era,” Intel VP Sandra Rivera said in a statement, adding that the labs will enable “us to take another critical step accelerate commercial 5G deployments.”
Ericsson is working with an Intel gateway based on the 5G trial platform to support an advanced, smart home demonstration at the Indianapolis 500 race this weekend. Along with carrier Verizon, Intel and Ericsson are showcasing the entertainment value of 5G by streaming virtual reality and 360-degree, 4K video that corresponds with the famous race. The user experience involves using a headset, which provides a 4K, 360-degree view of the track that supplemented with virtual reality elements. Other use cases touted by the companies include crystal-clear security camera feeds that can be tapped through the cloud, other VR and AR interactions, and providing a platform for internet of things devices and services.
