3GPP has canceled its face-to-face meetings through June
It appears that the 3GPP — the global association developing the world's 5G technology standards — is not immune to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The associated earlier this week announced a three-month delay in the...
With COVID-19 novel coronavirus creating havoc and upsetting everybody’s plans, the question on the minds of many people that follow standards development is, “How will it affect the 5G evolution timeline?” The question is even more relevant for Rel. 16, which is expected to...
5G Americas President: '5G is a transformational technology that is here to stay'
There is no doubt that 5G is taking over on a global scale at a much faster rate than the generations of cellular technology before it. There is also no doubt that...
As 5G moves beyond enhanced mobile broadband, the importance of cell site routers as RAN service nodes comes into sharp focus
The current thrust of 5G network deployments is offering up a consumer-facing enhanced mobile broadband experience. This, in and of itself, involves operators deploying...
This article, in five parts, is continued from Step 1, about spectrum and regulation; this can be found here.
2. SPECTRUM / REGULATION
Another crucial part of the jigsaw-roadmap – a clearing of the road, rather than a shortcut – is with spectrum. The lack of...
Release 17 will introduce "NR-Light" for IoT
The Third Generation Partnership Project has put together its list of approved work for 5G New Radio features in Release 17, which is slated for completion in the second half of 2021.
What's in the cards for 5G NR?...
I just returned from a whirlwind session of 3GPP RAN Plenary #86, held at the beautiful beach town of Sitges in Spain. The meeting finalized a comprehensive package with more than 30 Study and Work Items (SI and WI) for Rel 17. With a...
5G will only gets its wings in 2023, or thereabouts, when its full functionality is revealed in a standalone version of the new radio (NR) standard. That is when it will take flight, and change the world – or, at least, establish a control...
While the 5G race rages on, so does the race to be perceived as the technology leader in 5G. This race transcends companies, industries, regions, and even countries. No major country, be it the new power such as China or existing leaders such as...
NGMN Alliance pushing “vibrant vertical market engagement” to move 5G beyond eMBB
SINGAPORE--There’s no doubt 5G is to a limited extent today and will be more broadly soon a consumer service. The uncertainty comes in around how to monetize that consumer service. But the real...
Demystifying cellular patents and licensing - Part 4
3GPP is this mystic organization that many seem to know, but few understand it. The key players of this efficient and well-regarded organization work often without the fanfare or public recognition. But no more! As part of...
Have you ever felt the joy and elation of being part of something that you have only been observing, reading, writing about, and admiring for a long time? Well, I experienced that when I became a member of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and...
In my previous article in the series, I described the organizations and the process of creating cellular standards. I explained how it is an almost a magical process, where scores of industry players, many of whom are staunch competitors come together in a consensus-based...
HANNOVER, Germany--LTE in unlicensed frequency bands came late in the development of that particular flavor of cellular, and standards body 3GPP was primarily focused on aggregating the 5 GHz band with licensed carriers, called License Assisted Access. Enter the MulteFire Alliance, a cross-industry consortium...
HANNOVER, Germany--There's widespread consensus among the industrial companies on hand for Hannover Messe that 5G will be a major factor in the future of high-value verticals like manufacturing. But, just like consumer 5G services, it won't happen overnight. That's why Qualcomm is working on...
Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles that explores the sometimes obtuse process of standardizing, patenting and licensing cellular technologies.
Answers to the questions you always wondered but were afraid to ask
Patents spark joy in the eyes of the innovators! Patents...
Huawei 5G strategy marked by commercial end-to-end availability
Operators are continuing to invest in gigabit-class LTE while deploying early non-standalone 5G networks leveraging those 4G investments and paving the way for more advanced 5G services as standards progress and networks become more ubiquitous.
Speaking with RCR...
With the announcements by the Korean mobile service providers and AT&T in the US, turning up 5G service in late 2018, this might be a good time to pause and reexamine the road to 5G - how we got to this point, and where...
Still no details on mobile 5G launch
Verizon on Tuesday reported its fourth quarter earnings, including a 1.9% year-over-year growth in service revenue, 1.2 million postpaid subscriber adds and year-over-year revenue growth of 2.1% to $24.3 billion. On the wireline side, Verizon's Fios service picked...
For those following the development of 5G, it might be easy to say 5G is already here. In reality, that is partially true.
3GPP Release 16, sometimes referred to as “Phase 2” of 5G on ITU timelines, is designed to be an 18-month project that...
3GPP working on 5G NR for 5 GHz and 6 GHz
The use of unlicensed spectrum with LTE deployments has had a significant impact on the telecoms industry--operators can use Licensed Assisted Access to bolster network capacity and non-carrier interests can use MulteFire to operate...
3GPP leader weighs-in on 5G standard compatibility questions
Addressing concerns around interoperability and deployment timelines that have been trickling through the industry of late, the chairman of 3GPP's TSG RAN Balazs Bertenyi published a blog post detailing the impact of a change in the delivery...
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a consortium of telecommunications industry companies with varying focus areas that meet regularly to implement cellular communication standards. Contrary to what some understand 3GPP to be, they do not enforce these standards, but merely create them. The...
The side effect of all the attention and hype of 5G is the close scrutiny of its standards development, and undue confusion and unfounded fear because of even benign and simple procedural updates. While the glorification of 5G is ongoing with this almost deafening...
