Hello, dear.
As 5G standardization and commercialization accelerate, the world is about to witness a transition from 4G to 5G. At this critical time, operators must bear in mind the ultimate goals, make advanced preparations, and engage themselves in the deployment of 5G-oriented target networks. Highly competitive networks will play a decisive role in the success of 5G.
Leading global operators now have clear viewpoints about future target networks. For example, a Chinese operator perceives the addition of the 5G new radio (NR) to the continuously evolving LTE system as the defining feature of 5G era target networks. According to a Japanese operator, 2020 will witness the co-existence of 5G and the ongoing evolution of 4.5G, while users can enjoy the Gbps-level data rate. An operator from Korea believes that target networks will adopt the None-standalone Architecture (NSA) with LTE as the anchor. C-band and millimeter wave (mmWave) will be added for 5G while sub-3 GHz bands are going to be used for continuous LTE evolution. The European Union (EU) generally agrees with Japan and Korea and notes that 5G deployment will begin in urban areas.
As a Chinese saying goes, "It is better to start weaving your fishing nets than merely coveting fish at the water." Instead of admiring the myriad promises of 5G, related parties must act now to invest in 5G target networks, build early 5G competitiveness, and cultivate new businesses. More importantly, operators can reap the benefits of 5G on 4G networks, while smoothly shifting users from LTE to the next generation of mobile networks.
Target Networks in 5G Era = 4.5G Evolution + 5G N
Huawei believes that network competitiveness in the 5G era is not solely decided by the newly introduced 5G spectrum, but by multiple radio access technologies(RATs) and multiple frequency bands. In other words, target networks in the 5G era will be marked by the evolution of all spectrum, the fusion of all RATs, and the development of all industries.
Evolution of all spectrum: C-band is a globally harmonized 5G spectrum and is set to be the first band for commercial 5G deployment. mmWave will serve scenarios such as home broadband as well as indoor or outdoor hotspot locations. Sub-3 GHz spectrum will support continuous LTE evolution. Network-wide 4T4R will be the base for future networks with Massive MIMO deployed at hotspot areas. Sites will become ready for 5G NR and all spectrum will be available for 5G.
Fusion of all RATs: More than 20 global operators are shutting down or are planning to withdraw from 2G or 3G services. The spectrum resources released from legacy RATs are refarmed for 4G. Continuous 4G evolution is constantly improving user experience while co-existence of 5G and 4G evolution is expected to arise as the long-term standard. Just as new technologies once brought 4G to 4.5G, the introduction of nTnR, Massive MIMO, "one-plug in, all 5G" solution, antenna modernization, and other technologies on current 4.5G networks can facilitate smooth 5G-oriented evolution.
Development of all services: As 5G technologies mature, voice, video, and other conventional B2C services will keep getting better, while B2H services such as WTTx and B2V services such as NB-IoT will also become more advanced. Various innovative businesses such as the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), drones, and AR/VR are currently under development and will flourish in the new 5G era.
5G makes the world a better place！
