Claudio Cosetti
Claudio Casetti
Toying with the titles of a couple of 1950s classic sci-fi/horror movies, this issue’s “Mobile Radio” column reports recent testing initiatives aimed at providing 5G coverage from way above: In fact, from outside Earth’s atmosphere, delivered by satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO). Starlink, the satellite Internet constellation operated by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company, has undoubtedly captured world’s headlines, but other initiatives are under way, also involving traditional operators, whose business was so far more ground based. These enterprises have a common goal: providing an umbrella, Gb/s-speed coverage to remote, rural areas where 5G access would still be years in the making while effectively addressing the 5G goals of billions of connected devices.
On 11 July 2022, Ericsson, Qualcomm, and the French aerospace company Thales announced that they are planning to take 5G out of this world and across a network of Earth-orbiting satellites. After having each conducted detailed research, which included multiple studies and simulations, the parties plan to enter smartphone-use-case-focused testing and validation of 5G nonterrestrial networks (5G NTNs).
The result could effectively mean that a future 5G smartphone could use 5G connectivity anywhere on Earth and provide complete global coverage for wideband data services, including places normally covered only by legacy satellite phone systems with limited data connectivity capabilities. The benefits of 5G connectivity via LEO satellites are expected to include coverage in extreme or remote areas across seas, oceans, and other locations where terrestrial coverage is absent. Such widespread connectivity would boost 5G smartphone subscriber roaming service capabilities as well as enabling global connectivity for transportation, energy, and health sector 5G use cases.
The space-based network could also be used as backup support to terrestrial networks in the event of major network outages or disasters. The expected security capabilities of 5G NTNs mean that national government communications may be a main use case to enhance safe and secure national security and public safety government networks.
The testing and validation by Ericsson, Thales, and Qualcomm Technologies following the March 2022 go-ahead by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)—the global telecommunications standards’ body—are intended to support NTNs for the first time. The goal of the testing will be to validate various technology components needed to enable 5G NTNs, including a 5G smartphone, satellite payload, and 5G network pieces on the ground.
This work also aims to validate that 5G NTNs can be supported in a smartphone form factor, allowing tomorrow’s 5G smartphone to effectively become a satellite phone. The initial tests will take place in an emulated space environment in France, where the majority of European space-focused industry is based.
Ericsson plans to verify a 5G virtual radio access network (vRAN) stack, modified to handle radio signals propagating via the fast-moving LEO satellites. Thales plans to verify a 5G radio satellite payload suitable for deployment on LEO satellites, while Qualcomm Technologies plans to provide test phones, verifying that 5G NTNs can be accessed by future 5G smartphones.
Experts will use ground-based equipment to emulate the 5G radio propagation and time delays between an equipped satellite in orbit and connecting a 5G smartphone with the 5G RAN at different places on Earth’s surface. As a 3GPP-backed technology, 5G NTNs will be able to capitalize on a large ecosystem of standardized products and components. The new specification also enables the inclusion of NTN technologies in 5G devices, providing opportunities for technology vendors to quickly and easily scale 5G NTN compatibility across devices.
In related news, more tests are planned by Nokia and AST SpaceMobile, the company building the first space-based cellular broadband network directly accessible by standard 4G or 5G mobile devices. Under the deal announced on 28 July 2022, Nokia and AST SpaceMobile will work to achieve their joint ambition to expand universal coverage and connect underserved communities around the world. The launch of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 test satellite later this year will kick off global testing with mobile network operators on six continents.
AST SpaceMobile’s mission is to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by more than 5 billion mobile subscribers worldwide and to bring cellular broadband to approximately half of the world’s population who remain unconnected. Their approach will mean that subscribers outside the reach of cellular coverage could have access to broadband speeds without having to invest in specialized hardware and be able to roam from land networks to space networks for the first time. Through its mobile network operator relationships, AST SpaceMobile has entered into agreements and understandings with mobile network operators that collectively service more than 1.8 billion cellular customers.
Nokia’s AirScale Single RAN equipment aims to enable AST SpaceMobile in providing mobile services to new and existing subscribers in regions currently not served by terrestrial communication networks. This includes connecting devices globally on land, at sea, or in flight. Nokia will provide equipment from its comprehensive, energy-efficient AirScale portfolio, including its AirScale base stations powered by its latest generation of Nokia’s ReefShark system-on-a-chip (SoC) chipsets. AST SpaceMobile will benefit from Nokia’s modular baseband plug-in cards, which add capacity where it is needed, offering flexibility and efficiency. Nokia will also provide its NetAct solution for network management and seamless daily network operations as well as optimization and technical support services.
AST SpaceMobile plans to launch its BlueWalker 3 satellite for testing from Cape Canaveral, FL. BlueWalker 3 is a low Earth-orbiting satellite and has an aperture of approximately 64 m2 (693 ft2), which is designed to communicate directly with cellular devices via 3GPP standard frequencies. Ultimately, AST SpaceMobile is aiming to deploy approximately 100 satellites to achieve substantial global mobile coverage.
In a press release of 1 September 2022, Ericsson announced the introduction of a new triple-band, trisector radio that can do the job of nine radios. Radio 6646 cuts energy consumption by 40% compared to triple-band single-sector radios and, with reduced weight—including the use of aluminum—by 60%, minimizes the site footprint as well. The new radio extends the multiband capabilities of Ericsson trisector products by combining 900-, 800-, and 700-MHz frequency bands into one compact 2G- to 5G-capable radio. With the ever-growing need of communications service providers (CSPs) for more sustainable solutions, Radio 6646’s low-band spectrum capabilities will significantly boost both 5G coverage and midband (3.5-GHz) performance in an energy-efficient way.
A 40% reduction in energy usage can translate to yearly savings per site that are comparable to charging an electric car 40 times. Moreover, the 60% reduction in weight of the new triple-band, trisector radio will further help CSPs to minimize deployment costs and tower rent as well as the carbon footprint. One Radio 6646 can do the job of nine single-band radios.
Radio 6646 will expand the wide-area reach, outside-in coverage from rooftops and towers to indoor locations such as offices, basements, stores, and homes. It will also increase the capacity of 5G networks, especially when combined with midband time division duplex (TDD) over carrier aggregation and 5G standalone (5G SA).
The new radio also supports the 700-MHz band, which is expected to be one of the key spectrums for 5G SA deployments, where low bands extend the performance and reach of midband TDD. With three low bands combined, Radio 6646 will enhance both outdoor and indoor coverage for all mobile generations—2G to 5G—as well as the Internet of Things. The frequencies are widely supported by devices and provide an immense potential to increase the growth of 5G services. Radio 6646 follows the 2021 launch of the dual-band trisector Radio 6626, which is commercially available across global markets.
As reported by Huawei on 17 August 2022, China Unicom Beijing spearheaded the commercialization of Huawei’s brand-new 64T64R MetaAAU, an active antenna unit with 64 transmit and 64 receive antennas, in a pilot urban residential area in the Tongzhou district, which is home to a large number of 5G users who have a huge demand for 5G services. The rollout of 64T64R MetaAAU resulted in a significant increase in user-perceived rates. Even at a building near the cell edge, the downlink user-perceived rate was able to reach 100 Mb/s on every floor. This breakthrough technology transcends the longstanding challenges facing deep residential area coverage to further develop ubiquitous gigabit high-quality 5G networks.
64T64R MetaAAU is an upgrade of the Huawei MetaAAU series that adopts extremely large antenna array technology for optimal performance and energy efficiency. The number of channels has grown from 32T32R to 64T64R, meaning that this brand-new green 5G base station massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) product can deliver strong coverage, large capacity, and an outstanding experience.
Since the commercialization of 5G, China Unicom Beijing has built gigabit 5G networks in urban areas for continuous coverage by deploying massive MIMO products based on the 3.5-GHz large bandwidth. In the first half of this year, China Unicom Beijing also extended gigabit 5G networks in multiple villages. However, the limited uplink coverage and small coverage radius of mid and high bands pose challenges for network construction in scenarios requiring strong coverage, such as densely populated urban areas. MetaAAU boosts coverage and is the ideal option for China Unicom Beijing for delivering enhanced coverage and gigabit 5G experience both indoors and outdoors through wall-penetrating signals.
On 26 August 2022, Ericsson reported that it is teaming up with China Mobile Zhejiang and other partners to deploy 5G technology in public safety-focused natural disaster management in China. The move follows the successful testing of a 5G mission-critical partnership solution—called the 5G Full-Closed-Loop system for Integrated Natural Disaster Management—in 10 cities across the Lishui region of China.
Spanning early-warning analysis; natural disaster monitoring; command and dispatch; and postdisaster assessment, the solution has now been included in China’s Ministry of Science and Technology’s Monitoring, Early Warning and Prevention of Major Natural Disasters demonstration projects. As a result, the partners expect nationwide deployment to get underway in the coming weeks.
The solution was developed and launched by the Lishui Branch of China Mobile Zhejiang Company Limited and Ericsson along with several industry ecosystem partners under the leadership of the Lishui Municipal Emergency Management Bureau. Ericsson and China Mobile provided key insights and support for the development and validation of core applications by combining respective emergency communication practices, digital twin use cases, and network slicing technologies while jointly building 5G network connectivity. The project was listed in the recent “5G in Verticals in China 2022” report published by the GSMA.
The solution was developed and tested in Lishui region due to the region’s vulnerability to large-scale natural disasters and flash floods during the wet season. Several criteria were identified for the solution to address, including accurate disaster prediction; visible disaster occurrence; shared data silos; coordinated emergency command; and timely evacuation. The solution combines the coverage, high bandwidth, low latency, and reliability benefits of advanced 5G network connectivity, edge computing, digital twins, and 5G private network slicing.
It incorporates the following:
On 21 July 2022, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced that the next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) will take place at the Dubai World Trade Center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, between 20 November and 15 December 2023. Held every four years for a period of four weeks, the WRC is mandated to update the Radio Regulations, the sole international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum as well as the geostationary-satellite and nongeostationary satellite orbits.
WRC-23 will bring national government authorities and telecommunication regulatory agencies together with representatives of key radiocommunications users and providers for crucial policy and technical regulatory discussions at the global level. International cooperation maintained through the four-year conference cycle supports the availability of, and future investment in, radiocommunication services that are free of harmful interference.
Delegates to the conference—a direct governing body for ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R)—are expected to consider the results of technical studies on specific matters on the agenda and to revise the Radio Regulations accordingly. Such revisions will serve to expand access to radio frequencies for various services and applications, including broadcast services; emergency communications; and satellite and space services, wherever needed worldwide.
More than 4,000 delegates are expected to attend WRC-23 from ITU’s 193 member states. Also, in attendance as observers will be representatives from the 278 ITU Radiocommunication Sector members, representing various stakeholders, including equipment manufacturers, telecommunications companies, network operators, international organizations, and industry forums as well as representatives from ITU’s United Nations (UN) sister agencies; regional telecommunication organizations and intergovernmental organizations operating satellite systems; and academia.
The preparatory process for WRCs involves extensive studies and technical discussions among governments, regulatory authorities, network operators, and equipment suppliers along with industry forums and spectrum users at the national, regional, and global levels. The multistakeholder approach enables consensus building, essential for each WRC to foster a stable, predictable, and universally applied regulatory environment.
The World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) concluded in Kigali on 16 June 2022 with the adoption of a forward-looking agenda to address the global connectivity gap that has kept 2.9 billion people around the world from using the Internet. Organized by ITU between 6 and 16 June 2022, WTDC welcomed 2,152 participants in total, representing 150 member states and 340 sector members and partners, with 1,304 delegates present in the Rwandan capital and another 848 joining the meeting remotely. The focus of the event was “Connecting the Unconnected to Achieve Sustainable Development.”
The Kigali Action Plan agreed at the conference charts a course for digital development that aligns closely with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the UN for 2030. It also defines the workplan of the ITU’s Development Sector (ITU-D) until the next WTDC. Public–private partnerships (PPPs) were at the forefront with the conference’s Partner2Connect Digital Development Roundtable; since its launch, the coalition has to date mobilized 418 ground-breaking connectivity pledges worth an estimated US$25.05 billion, with more pledges still coming in.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference set out to reinvigorate progress on SDGs and put digital uptake at the forefront for the remaining seven years of the UN’s Decade of Action. Adopting the Kigali Declaration, delegates underscored their collective commitment to universal and meaningful connectivity and approved new regional initiatives. Also agreed upon were various new ITU-D resolutions and new sets of questions to be investigated by the two ITU study groups focused on development issues.
Newly adopted resolutions aim to:
Regional initiatives outlined in the Kigali Action Plan address specific needs for each major region of the world to advance and accelerate digital transformation. Broad themes across ITU’s six global regions include: infrastructure development; enhancing cybersecurity; nurturing enabling policy and regulatory environments; advancing digital skills development; and developing smart and sustainable cities.
On 30 June 2022, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) announced Open Source Management and Orchestration (MANO)(OSM) Release 12, the second long-term support release of ETSI Open Source MANO and one of its most prolific releases. One of the main new features of Release 12 is the ability to heal network functions that may be affected by any kind of infrastructure failure. This healing process, which may be triggered either manually or automatically depending on operator preference, can be applied in all the clouds supported by OSM, in line with OSM’s multicloud approach.
In addition to significant improvements in day-two operation of a network service, this release makes it possible to upgrade a running network function instance with a new package version, all with minimal downtime. Moreover, the composition of network services can also be modified in runtime.
To further increase interoperability with third-party solutions, ETSI OSM Release 12 supports additional ETSI network function virtualization (NFV) specifications, such as ETSI GS NFV-SOL003 (Group Specification NFV Solution) for virtual network function (VNF) lifecycle management. With the support of the VNF lifecycle management application programming interfaces (APIs), Release 12 offers both the API of an NFV orchestrator and the API of a generic VNF manager, providing operators with additional options for the integration of OSM in their Telco cloud architecture. This support of additional ETSI NFV specifications continues the journey initiated since OSM creation, where ETSI GS NFV-SOL005 was already the foundation of OSM’s northbound interface, and the OSM data model and descriptors were derived from ETSI GS-NFV SOL006.
Finally, this new release includes several interesting features for production deployment, such as the support of antiaffinity groups per VNF; the addition of password expiry policies; new options for Kubernetes cluster registration; and the experimental migration of OpenStack-based network function instances. OSM Release 12 is the second long-term support release and will provide two years of continuous support with bug fixes and security patches.
On 3 August 2022, Intel reported the successful demonstration of the reduced operational energy consumption of an open RAN (O-RAN) infrastructure during the O-RAN Alliance Virtual Demo and Global PlugFest Spring 2022, which spanned three continents and highlighted demonstrations from more than 50 companies and institutions. The tests, conducted at the University of Utah’s mobile networking laboratory by Vodafone, Intel, Wind River, Keysight Technologies, and Radisys, aimed at replicating real-life traffic scenarios. The results indicated power savings of 9% and 12%, respectively, during high- and low-mobile traffic scenarios. The tests were also an opportunity to investigate RAN slice assurance. Network slicing plays a vital role in enabling service providers to offer innovative new services and maximize the return on their network investment. RAN slice assurance technology makes it possible to deliver 5G services with guaranteed levels of performance and quality, also known as a service level agreement (SLA).
Utilizing the power of third-generation Intel Xeon processors, Intel demonstrated the following:
On 25 August 2022, Nokia and Google announced that they have successfully trialed innovative network slice selection functionality on 4G/5G networks using the UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) technology and Google Pixel 6 (Pro) phones running Android 13. Network slicing enables operators to divide a network into multiple virtual slices, which can be optimized for a specific target application or service. The end user of each network slice can then be serviced with different priorities, routing, levels of network performance, and security capabilities. Slices can be managed and deployed in minutes, and each one has key performance indicators used for service assurance.
Once deployed, the solution will enable operators to provide new 5G network slicing services and enhance the customer application experience of devices with Android 13. Specifically, URSP capabilities enable a smartphone to connect to multiple network slices simultaneously via different enterprise and consumer applications depending on a subscriber’s specific requirements.
The trial, which took place at Nokia’s network slicing development center in Tampere, Finland, also included LTE-5G New Radio (NR) slice interworking functionality. This will enable operators to maximally utilize existing network assets such as spectrum and coverage.
URSP capabilities extend network slicing to new types of applications and use cases, allowing network slices to be tailored based on network performance, traffic routing, latency, and security. For example, an enterprise customer could send business-sensitive information using a secure and high-performing network slice while participating in a video call using another slice at the same time. Additionally, consumers could receive personalized network slicing services, for example, for cloud gaming or high-quality video streaming. The URSP-based network slicing solution is also compatible with Nokia’s new 5G radio resource allocation mechanisms as well as slice continuity capabilities over 4G and 5G networks.
The trial was conducted using Nokia’s end-to-end 4G/5G network slicing product portfolio across the RAN–transport–core as well as related control and management systems. The trial included 5G network slice selection and connectivity based on enterprise and consumer application categories as well as 5G NR-LTE slice interworking functionalities.
In related news, Nokia also reported that it has successfully piloted its 4G and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network slicing with the mobile operator Safaricom on its live commercial network. This is the first time 4G/5G network slicing has been successfully achieved in Africa. The trial utilized a multivendor network environment and included RAN, transport, and core as well as software upgrades to a range of Nokia’s products and services.
The successful trial demonstrates that Safaricom is now poised to support new types of enterprise network services, including fast-lane Internet access and application slicing. In addition, Nokia is enabling secured FWA slice connectivity to enterprise locations as well as to private or public application clouds.
The multivendor pilot, which took place in Kenya’s Western Region, strengthens the strategic partnership between the two companies, with Nokia already providing a wide variety of services and solutions. The pilot demonstrated a number of solutions, including Nokia’s AirScale 4G/5G base stations; the NetAct network management and assurance system; and Nokia’s FastMile 4G/5G customer premises equipment.
On 19 July 2022, Qualcomm unveiled the latest additions to the company’s suite of premium wearable platforms, Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 and Snapdragon W5 Gen 1. These platforms are designed to advance ultralow power and breakthrough performance for next-generation connected wearables with a focus on extended battery life, premium user experiences, and sleek innovative designs. By using these platforms, manufacturers can scale, differentiate, and develop products faster in the continuously growing and segmenting wearables industry.
New enhancements to the flagship Snapdragon W5+ platform offer 50% lower power; two-times higher performance; two-times richer features; and 30% smaller size compared to the previous generation of such platforms, enabling wearable manufacturers to deliver the differentiated experiences that consumers demand. Based on the hybrid architecture, the purpose-built platform is composed of a 4-nm-based SoC and 22 nm-based highly integrated always-on coprocessor. It incorporates a series of platform innovations, including new ultralow power Bluetooth 5.3 architecture; low-power islands for Wi-Fi, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and audio; and low-power states such as Deep Sleep and Hibernate.
On 2 June 2022, the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) and the International Mobile Telecommunications IMT-2030 6G Promotion Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further promote cooperation on 6G. 6G-IA is the voice of European industry and research for next-generation networks and services. Its primary objective is to contribute to Europe’s leadership on beyond 5G and 6G research and to secure 5G deployment according to the 5G Action Plan. The 6G-IA carries out a wide range of activities in strategic areas, including standardization; frequency spectrum; R&D projects; technology skills; collaboration with key vertical industry sectors, notably for the development of trials; and international cooperation.
The IMT-2030 6G Promotion Group is the flagship platform in China to promote 6G R&D and international cooperation, and it is driving the cutting-edge research on 6G technology and industry in China. Its primary objective is to gather China’s industry–university–research forces to promote 6G research in a wide range of areas, including vision and requirements; wireless and network technologies; standardization; trials; studies of social and economic impact; and international collaborations.
The areas of cooperation foreseen by the MoU concern the exchange information in the field of 6G communication systems and networks, and specifically:
Both the 6G-IA and IMT-2030 6G Promotion Group will seek to organize joint activities, including but not limited to workshops, seminars, webinars, trials, and joint publications.
On 6 June 2022, 6G-IA published a white paper [1] on the initial views on what 6G might look like and what implications this will have for Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM). The white paper reflects on the lessons learned during the execution of the key 5G PPP projects that have been working on 5G for CAM and contribute to identifying, from the very beginning, new mobility requirements for the evolution of 5G and 6G communication systems. The white paper also identifies the impending new technologies that are being considered for 6G and have the potential to have a highly positive impact on CAM.
On 11 August 2022, 5G Americas, the voice of 5G and 4G LTE for the Americas, announced the release of its latest white paper covering time-critical services in 5G networks, titled “Understanding 5G and Time Critical Services” [2]. According to the white paper, time-critical services require the services’ clients and servers across the network to be strictly synchronized and its underlying communication network to be ultrareliable and strictly latency bounded. Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) features in 5G will help support an array of use cases spanning across automotive, transportation, health care, education, media production, forestry, public safety, banking, utilities, and much more.
Support for time-critical services over 5G networks has been incorporated in various enhancements in Release 16 and Release 17. The white paper describes how these technologies are impacting legacy networks based on GNSSs that have traditionally provided required timing accuracy as well as the IEEE 802.1 TSN standard that is becoming the converged networking technology for factories to enable deterministic and low-latency communication.
The white paper explores the following key topics:
Engineers from Intel and Qualcomm led the working group that authored the white paper.
[1] “From 5G to 6G vision: A connected and automated mobility perspective,” European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, Jun. 2022. [Online] . Available: https://5g-ppp.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/White_Paper_6G-IA_5G_for_CAM_WG_From_5G_to_6G_Vision_June_2022.pdf
[2] “Understanding 5G & time critical services,” 5G Americas, Bellevue, WA, USA, White Paper, Aug. 2022. [Online] . Available: https://www.5gamericas.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Understanding-5G-Time-Critical-Services-Aug-2022.pdf
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MVT.2022.3205402