PARTNER CONTENT: Faster mobile broadband, massive machine type communications (mMTC), and features such as network slicing and URLLC have long been cited as central to the value proposition for 5G.

Operators who acquired expensive 5G spectrum then spent heavily overlaying New Radio on their legacy LTE networks. While a 5G RAN running off a 4G LTE core network gave operators a timely and vital network capacity boost, it limited 5G’s functionality, and diminished the excitement for this new ‘G’. If operators are to start earning a meaningful return on their investments it is now time for the focus to shift.

To fully realise that initial 5G promise operators need to upgrade to 5G Advanced based on a standalone 5G core. The next five years to the end of 2029 can be pivotal to improving the fortunes of mobile operators.

Release 18 includes valuable enhancements to features initiated in releases 15, 16 and 17: improved integration between terrestrial and non-terrestrial (satellite) networks; support for various vertical sector use cases; multicast and broadcast services; interworking with unmanned aerial vehicles (drones); and network slicing. New features include artificial intelligence and machine learning applications as well as support for immersive services including extended, augmented and virtual reality. There is also a significant focus on energy efficiency.  A standalone 5G core will be key to unlocking these opportunities.

Enhanced connectivity
Combined with the speed, spectral efficiency and capacity advantages of 5G New Radio a standalone 5G core will enhance the reliability of connectivity. Latencies will also be reduced – to as little as ten nanoseconds – paving the way for a new generation of highly responsive service propositions.

Ultra reliable, low latency communications (URLLC) is particularly important for industrial applications on the factory floor: robotics and autonomous vehicles must be able to stop in milliseconds or nanoseconds to avoid running into the human workforce. Sidelink, a device-to-device communications technology that was further enhanced in Release 18, will add new dimensions to the MTC eco-system.

By enabling the connection of tens of billions of “things” to the internet a 5G core can act as the catalyst for diverse industrial applications that will drive efficiency and sustainability through factory automation, environmental monitoring, improved traffic and transportation management.

5G augmented and virtual reality will become a practical reality for the first time with URLLC. A multitude of enterprise use cases could include training, field maintenance or remote health care through the use of VR glasses. Entertainment such as virtual tours or cloud gaming could appeal to consumers.

Network slicing
Network slicing, where a customer can purchase a specific service level dynamically and on-demand, has long been positioned as a USP for 5G. One customer may need a fast data rate or exceptionally high bandwidth. Another may not need 100 gigabits per second but might require connectivity with six nines reliability.  Capacity constraints and interference in the environment can compromise reliability. By dedicating specific network resources to a particular customer, a slice can be isolated to deliver a guaranteed service level.

For operators, slicing is a source of incremental revenues from enterprise and consumer users. A business might need coverage for a defined period of time while establishing a new site or facility. A film or TV company could use a slice to connect cameras on location with content storage and remote production facilities via the cloud.

A consumer use case could be a gamer on the move who wants a guaranteed connection to finish a game. Another consumer might want to avoid buffering while watching a movie in a high traffic environment. If the customer usually pays €10 a month, but sees value in paying an additional euro for 40 minutes of guaranteed connectivity, that impulse purchase amounts to a ten percent increase in that user’s revenue for the month.

Saving energy
With 2G, 3G and 4G an operator had little choice but to keep its network fully powered-up irrespective of actual traffic. 5G Advanced offers much greater control over individual network elements: individual radios can be switched off or on very quickly. Power amplifiers (PAs), which are also very energy intensive, can be powered down whenever data packets are not being detected.

As the RAN accounts for a significant proportion of an operator’s overall energy consumption this ability to dynamically micro-manage network elements promises significant savings in energy and operating expenditure. One power management trial ADI undertook with Vodafone suggested energy savings of 30 percent are a realistic prospect.

Five years to full 5G
With its expertise in energy efficient radio design ADI has gained valuable insights into the ongoing evolution of 5G technologies. By successfully integrating a Zero-IF Software Defined Radio transceiver, ADI reduced the size of macro cell signal chain by more than a factor of 10, enabling today’s massive MIMO radio units.

By deploying standalone 5G core networks operators can start to deliver the long promised 5G features and benefits to enterprise customers and consumers. Over the next five years, there is a great opportunity to accelerate the return on New Radio investments.