Assuming money were not a problem, if you could own a sports car for personal use, would you rather rent one? Neither would I. It can be argued that 5G is today’s sports car of mobile technologies: fast, reliable, fashionable. As businesses continue to rely more heavily on digital technologies, owning a 5G network makes a lot of sense. 5G private, portable networks offer a range of benefits, including enhanced security, improved connectivity, increased flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.
In this column, we report a few examples of quite diverse private 5G network deployments: for emergency responders, for ocean cleanup, and for airport operations.
At Hsinchu’s fire station, about an hour’s drive from downtown Taipei, Taiwan, firefighters are using a new communication solution when responding to disasters. Pegatron, an electronics design and manufacturing company, partnered with Intel to design a portable 5G network-in-a-box base station. The solution is now in use by the city of Hsinchu’s emergency responders, who often struggled with a lack of connectivity in remote areas and mountainous regions.
The solution is powered by a portable generator and is highly mobile, being about the size of a large suitcase and weighing about 18 kg (40 lb). It fits in the trunk of a vehicle and can be carried as a backpack, and it deploys in minutes on any terrain. It uses a satellite dish to establish high-speed network connectivity with satellites overhead.
Once a backhaul satellite connection is established, a 5G radio antenna establishes a 5G network within the immediate vicinity, capable of delivering up to a gigabit per second of throughput available to up to 32 connected devices. The system can be extended to host more users with the addition of more 5G cells. The portable 5G-in-a-box system is powered by a constellation of Intel hardware and software. It is also compliant with existing 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) standards.
Each 5G cell includes an Intel Xeon Scalable processor and Intel-based Ethernet network interface card. On the software side, the Intel FlexRAN reference architecture for wireless access enabled Pegatron engineers to create a scalable cloud-native RAN solution that is feature rich and can run on any open cloud-based telecommunications platform.
Pegatron is evolving the solution with faster technology, including an upgrade that includes 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors with Intel virtualized RAN (vRAN) Boost. All processors were launched at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona. As more of the world’s networks transform from fixed-function, legacy hardware that is centralized in one location to modern vRAN built on programmable, scalable, and flexible software-defined platforms, the edge becomes the place where that computing power is needed most.
Hsinchu firefighters began using the solution in October 2022. With the benefit of high-speed network connectivity established, firefighters can stream high-resolution video from remote areas to aid disaster response efforts. In the past, firefighters relied on long-range handheld walkie-talkies for their communication needs. Pegatron is working on an updated version of the platform that will feature more advanced technology, a smaller footprint, and a lighter package. Other scalable private 5G networks based on this technology are also being deployed in Taiwan, including at Metro Taipei’s mass rail transit network and at Pegatron’s manufacturing facility.
On 16 March 2023, Nokia reported the deployment of private wireless connectivity, network edge equipment, and analytics for “The Ocean Cleanup,” the international nonprofit project working to develop and scale technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. The collaboration is in line with Nokia’s enhanced Environmental, Social and Governance strategy as well as a broader longstanding commitment to advance the role of technology in combating climate change and minimizing environmental impacts.
Nokia is focused on the role its products play in solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges, using connectivity and digitalization to restore stalled productivity, provide inclusive access to opportunity, and relieve pressure on the environment and natural ecosystems. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution, and around 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year.
Nokia and MCS Benelux, Nokia’s partner for Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) distribution, have already successfully deployed the first Nokia DAC private wireless solution for The Ocean Cleanup’s operations in the North Pacific, and they will deploy further systems at a later stage. Nokia DAC is a high-performance, end-to-end private wireless networking and edge computing platform. The Nokia connectivity, Nokia MX Industrial Edge, and analytics will be used for applications, such as high-end video connectivity over 4G technology, to help navigate The Ocean Cleanup’s operations while harvesting plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
5G, private wireless, edge computing, sensors, artificial intelligence (AI)-based analytics, drones, and other advanced technologies will play an increasingly critical role in supporting the conservation and sustainability of our natural environment by providing immediate up-to-date and constant information on the status of the environment, whether on land or in the sea. Working with The Ocean Cleanup provides the opportunity to explore that role further.
Purdue University Airport, in collaboration with industry partners Ericsson and Saab, announced on 20 March 2023 the creation of a unique 5G network that will serve as a “lab to life” proving ground for academics, researchers, and business to develop commercial solutions that can be replicated to improve operations and security at airports of all sizes. 5G innovation has promised to provide a new generation of capabilities for enterprises. This project aims to bring to life the benefits of private 5G for airports, where new high-performance networks can be tested in real-life scenarios.
In today’s environment, airports install sensors and systems that require hardwired network connections, often requiring physical connection points via trenches for copper lines or fiber-optic cables. Alternatively, airports can consider point-to-point radio-frequency (RF) links, which are often unreliable, or public cellular connections that come with subscription fees and consumer-oriented performance limitations. The collaboration among Purdue University, Ericsson, and Saab at Purdue Airport makes this approach obsolete. With the technology exhibited at Purdue, airports will find they have more flexibility to add or relocate products when the airport goes through construction phases, saving time and resources for operators and consumers.
Ericsson will contribute a private 5G network for the Purdue Research Foundation to operate at the Purdue University Airport (LAF). LAF is Purdue University’s public-use airport, which is located in the southwest portion of the West Lafayette campus. It conducts more than 125,000 aircraft operations annually, making it Indiana’s second-busiest airport.
Saab will invest in this project by installing Aerobahn, a platform that unlocks airport efficiency for airlines and ramp management; installing SAFE Event Management platforms, security platforms used in airport operation centers; and deploying Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast sensors to track aircraft. These investments will improve landside operational safety and efficiency as well as improve airside security.
Purdue will provide use of its airport as well as the lab-to-life testbed established throughout Discovery Park District at Purdue, a 400-acre, mixed-use development adjacent to the university’s campus.
On 17 March 2023, Qualcomm Technologies announced the new Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 Mobile Platform. Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 boost CPU and GPU performance, fueling swift, nonstop gaming, dynamic low-light photography, and 4K high dynamic range (HDR) videography, AI-enhanced experiences, and high-speed 5G and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 enhances performance to the top of the 7 series, fueling a host of experiences. The Qualcomm Kryo CPU boasts peak speeds up to 2.91 GHz, for more than 50% improved performance, while the Qualcomm Adreno GPU provides 2× improved performance. Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 achieves up to 13% improved power efficiency across the system for extended daily use. On-device AI is integrated across the entire platform.
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will be adopted by key original equipment manufacturer (OEM) brands, including Redmi and Realme, with commercial devices expected to be launched in March 2023.
The need for connected, intelligent, and autonomous devices is growing rapidly, and it is expected to hit US$116 billion by 2030 according to Precedence Research. Businesses attempting to compete in this fast-moving economy need a reliable source of control and connectivity technology for their Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Leveraging its experience in the provision of platforms addressing this expanding segment, on 14 March 2023, Qualcomm presented the world’s first integrated 5G IoT processors designed to support four major operating systems, and an accelerator program for IoT ecosystem partners. These innovations will empower manufacturers participating in the rapidly expanding world of devices at the connected intelligent edge.
Qualcomm Technologies has upgraded the high-tier system-on-chip Qualcomm QCS6490 and Qualcomm QCM6490 processors, used for a wide range of IoT applications, to support four major different operating systems. An industry first, the Qualcomm QCS6490/Qualcomm QCM6490 can now run Linux, Ubuntu, and Microsoft Windows IoT Enterprise in addition to Android.
The new Qualcomm QCM5430 processor and Qualcomm QCS5430 processor are Qualcomm Technologies’ first software-defined IoT solutions. Combining performance, premium connectivity, and support for multiple operating system options, the platforms can scale across a wide footprint of IoT devices and deployment configurations for a visual environment. OEMs—including builders of industrial handheld devices, retail equipment, midtier robots and connected cameras, AI edge boxes, and more—will have the flexibility to choose among premium, preset, or customized feature packs today and then upgrade them in the future to support their own needs or to provide customer upgrades.
The Qualcomm QCM5430 and Qualcomm QCS5430 processors are designed to support up to five vision sensor inputs and video encoding at up to 4K30. They are ready to support machine vision requirements with low-power and advanced edge AI processing. When necessary, the edge AI can switch to cloud processing for handling multiple camera connections, optimizing between response time and power efficiency, as the manufacturer or user requires. All Qualcomm QCM5430/Qualcomm QCS5430 processor devices are designed to support enterprise-grade on-device security.
Both preset platform packages—Qualcomm QCM5430/Qualcomm QCS5430 Feature Pack 1 and Qualcomm QCM5430/Qualcomm QCS5430 Feature Pack 2—include premium connectivity. Wi-Fi support includes 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E) with transmit speeds up to 3.6Gbps and other enhancements for reduced latency, increased responsiveness, and seamless handoffs in dense mesh environments, such as hospitals and warehouses. The connectivity suite on the Qualcomm QCM5430 processor variant also includes a 5G modem that supports millimeter-wave (mm-wave) connectivity for ultrafast data and highly precise geolocation.
In related news, Qualcomm also announced the new Qualcomm Robotics RB1 and RB2 platforms, powered by the new QRB2210 processor and QRB4210 processor, respectively. Both platforms are optimized for smaller devices and lower power consumption, making them more cost effective and accessible for the industry.
These platforms feature general computing and AI-focused performance and communications technologies, with built-in support for machine vision for up to three cameras, providing onboard intelligence to meld these data with innovative high-performance sensors from TDK Corporation for applications such as autonomous navigation.
The Qualcomm Robotics RB2’s feature set extends on the Qualcomm Robotics RB1, with upgraded computing and GPU power with a dedicated AI accelerator that offers double the processing capability of the Qualcomm Robotics RB1. This gives it the capability to perform advanced, real-time, on-device AI and machine learning (ML), detection, classification, and environmental engagement. It can support cameras with up to 25MP of resolution and has upgraded security features including a secure digital signal processor and user interface. The Qualcomm Robotics RB2 also offers support for additional peripheral standards. The platforms support current and emerging connectivity standards, including wired connections (USB 3.1 type-C) and wireless connectivity through Wi-Fi, LTE, and 5G.
On 24 January 2023, the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) reflecting a strong mutual interest in bringing European research results for 5G, 6G, and related technologies into the wider standardization landscape.
The 6G-IA brings together a global industry community of telecoms and digital actors, such as operators, manufacturers, research institutes, universities, verticals, and small and medium enterprises. The association 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 the development of trials, and international cooperation.
The 6G-IA represents the private side in both the 5G Infrastructure Public Private Partnership (5G-PPP) and the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU). In the 5G-PPP and SNS JU, the European Commission represents the public side. As the voice of European industry and research for next-generation networks and services, the 6G-IA primary objective is to contribute to Europe’s leadership on 5G, 5G evolution, and SNS/6G research.
It is therefore very relevant that the 6G-IA join forces with ETSI and be further involved in its Research, Innovation and Standards Ecosystem (RISE) group as well as the ETSI Technology Radar activities mapping emerging technology areas. The 6G-IA is also interested in the vision and societal challenges working activities of the ETSI RISE group. This collaboration will help European standards strengthen industry around the world.
Yokohama National University, NTT DOCOMO, Nihon Dengyo Kosaku, and Fujitsu announced on 30 January 2023 that they successfully demonstrated a 5G indoor base station incorporating a multisector antenna using the 28-GHz band. The device, which incorporates circuitry just 1/10th the size of a conventional indoor base station, is extra small for easy installation, minimizes energy consumption, and achieves highly efficient signal propagation, all of which will contribute to the realization of high-quality connectivity indoors.
The demonstration, in which a conventional 5G base station control unit communicated with the new device via a 28-GHz signal, confirmed that a single multisector antenna can receive radio waves in all directions using radio beam control. Although DOCOMO previously measured the directivity of a single element in a multisector antenna in 2022, this was the world’s first demonstration to use a multisector antenna in a 5G base station equipped for radio beam control.
A multisector antenna divides its surrounding 360° space into multiple areas (sectors) for transmitting and receiving radio waves simultaneously and independently in each sector. The antenna used in the demonstration contained 12 directional elements arranged in a radial pattern, each of which effectively transmitted and received radio waves in a specific direction. A Yagi–Uda antenna developed originally for television broadcasting was deployed for the high-frequency band. Conventionally, multiple multielement planar-array antennas are required to propagate high-frequency radio waves to all areas of an indoor environment, requiring large circuitry that consumes significant amounts of energy and demands ample space for installation.
By using 5G-standardized beam-switching technology, however, the newly demonstrated multisector antenna incorporated in a small base station managed to achieve high gain in all directions with minimized energy consumption. Installing the envisioned device on ceilings will help to deliver high-frequency radio waves effectively throughout each room, thus reducing the number of base stations needed to construct high-quality indoor communication environments.
High-frequency radio waves have strong linearity, and their strength tends to diminish easily, making it difficult to deliver such waves over wide areas. Conventionally, four or more base station antennas are required to transmit radio waves in all directions in a room, but the recent demonstration has now shown that just one multisector antenna can handle the task.
Going forward, DOCOMO plans to conduct verification tests using the new base station in various indoor environments, based on which it intends to finalize the antenna circuitry and incorporate it in commercial base stations for the establishment of high-quality indoor communication environments at a reduced cost. In addition, Yokohama National University, DOCOMO, Nihon Dengyo Kosaku, and Fujitsu will work toward 5G Evolution and 6G to achieve compatibility with future mobile networks’ high-frequency mm-waves and terahertz waves for the further enhancement of indoor connectivity.
Nokia and Singtel announced on 6 March 2023 Asia Pacific’s first successful implementation of Internet Protocol (IP) transport slicing across an end-to-end 5G network. The proof of concept took place in Singtel’s 5G Garage, a live test facility, training center, and ideation lab, involving 5G radio, 5G core, and Nokia’s IP transport network slicing solution. It focused on evaluating the solution’s capabilities to deliver end-to-end service performance for different network slices and optimize network resources on demand. Nokia’s solution will enable automation of network slicing across the IP transport network to provide enhanced customer experience for enterprise and consumer users.
Nokia’s solution will reduce operational expenditures by improving the management and utilization of network resources. End-to-end network slicing would also allow consumers and enterprises to get access to differentiated service performance. It enables the operator to provide new services, including 5G virtual private network and slicing for enterprise applications as well as enhanced gaming, high-definition streaming, and extended reality.
To deliver end-to-end slicing, Singtel, Nokia, and their network partners worked together to map the slice service attributes across 3GPP and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) specifications. 3GPP specifies the network slicing functionalities in the 5G radio and core, while the IETF specifies the IP transport equivalent. With this novel implementation, the network is able to implement end-to-end slice performance and service differentiation.
Nokia’s solution for IP transport network slicing incorporates a highly scalable and resilient network infrastructure that leverages segment routing with traffic engineering. This allows fine-grained service differentiation to meet stringent critical services service level agreements. In addition, the Nokia network services platform (NSP) provides a set of tools to manage the complete lifecycle of transport slices and automation capabilities to support transport network slice realization across multiple technologies, including IP, segment routing, and multiprotocol label switching. The Nokia 7750 Service Router and NSP were used to conduct the trial.
On 28 February 2023, NTT DOCOMO announced that it has begun researching and developing a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) that enables multivendor interoperability for O-RAN. The RIC, a software-defined framework that automatically controls and optimizes RAN functions together with various types of RIC application software, will serve a vital role in O-RAN by interconnecting with multivendor base station equipment for improved network quality and efficiency as well as reduced operational costs.
In line with RIC standard specifications being studied by the O-RAN ALLIANCE, a worldwide community promoting the adoption and spread of O-RAN in the current 5G era, DOCOMO will verify different types of RIC application software by different vendors with the aim of realizing the optimization and control of multivendor base-station operating parameters. Verifications are expected eventually to demonstrate how the RIC can enhance the communication quality and customer experiences as well as reduce operational cost, which is essential for promoting a flexible and scalable O-RAN comprising multivendor equipment.
DOCOMO will also demonstrate how its envisioned RIC can intelligently optimize the effective use of radio frequency through new RIC application software that controls antenna beams when signals are transmitted from base stations.
On 28 February 2023, Telstra, in collaboration with Ericsson, announced the successful completion of a 100-km long-range 5G data call on a midband time division duplex (TDD) advanced antenna system (AAS) radio in a live commercial network.
This world-first achievement was conducted at Burra in South Australia and made possible through a new software feature that extends the maximum cell range from 15 km out to 100 km. The extended range feature will enable Telstra to broaden the benefits of 5G massive multiple-input, multiple-output AAS radios to even more rural and regional areas, delivering 5G capacity and downlink speeds to more customers.
While this feature will not extend reach where it is already limited by terrain, vegetation, or other obstructions, in situations where an area has a clear line of sight to the antenna on an enabled site, a connection can be established as far as 100 km. Although situations allowing a full 100-km extension will be limited, there will be many areas in regional/rural Australia where effective 5G coverage will now reach well beyond 15 km, meaning more 5G coverage in more places.
Telstra will selectively enable this long-range capability where it can provide a coverage benefit based on each mobile site’s local requirements and environment. Once testing is complete, and based on device dependencies, it is expected that selective field deployments will start later this year.
China boasts a coastline spanning 18,000 km, and it is home to the country’s most economically dynamic regions. The waters of China that stretch 50–100 km off the shore are often economically exploited for fish breeding rafts, coastal tourism, offshore wind power, and maritime and fishery law enforcement. Many coastal provinces in China have proposed to leverage information and communications technology technologies to promote maritime economic development and transformation for 2021 to 2025, in which coastal mobile broadband will play a pivotal role.
Together with Chinese telecom operators, Huawei has long begun to actively deploy coastal 5G networks to cater to the data and voice requirements of those working at sea and on farms along the coastline, to stimulate the development of the maritime economy. The allocation of the 5G low-band spectrum makes it possible for these operators to economically deploy coastal 5G networks on a large scale. Thanks to significantly stronger network coverage, the operators have built a multiband, multilayer, and multicell 3D network. TDD + frequency division duplex coordination achieves optimal network coverage and capacity. In heavily loaded hotspots, a high-band spectrum is used to deliver high capacity for users.
Considering the disparity between offshore and terrestrial radio propagation characteristics, the operators and Huawei have worked together to build a dedicated propagation model for offshore areas based on the measurement results to optimize network configuration and deployment models. With the help of these technologies, the operators have achieved ultrawide signal coverage in offshore areas.
This 3D coastal 5G network not only enhances communication between those working at sea and along the coast, it also significantly improves mariculture efficiency and extensively supports industry development and regulation of coastal areas.
On 23 February 2023, 5G Americas, the voice of 5G and 4G LTE for the Americas, announced the release of “The Evolution of Open RAN” [1]. O-RAN is a concept that involves the interoperability of open hardware, software, and interfaces for cellular wireless networks. The new white paper focuses on market updates and the latest developments, including artificial intelligence and ML tools.
“The Evolution of Open RAN” provides a comprehensive update on work from leading O-RAN standards bodies with an emphasis on application and microservice development in modern wireless cellular networks. The paper also examines how cloudification of O-RAN is providing opportunities in the scalability of network functions for operators.
The paper examines how architectural considerations may include network disaggregation and functional splits, hybrid versus hierarchical management planes, RAN cloudification and virtualization, and services-based architecture for RIC functions. Additionally, it examines how operators will have different O-RAN needs based on their own requirements for total cost of ownership savings, performance considerations, and brownfield versus greenfield deployments.
Some key topics surrounding evolving O-RAN standards in this report include
Still from 5G Americas, a white paper titled “Mid-Band Spectrum Update” [2] was announced on 22 March 2023. It provides an overview of current and potential new midband and extended midband spectrum availability in the United States over the next several years, including technical characteristics and challenges as well as policy and the regulatory landscape.
With total global demand for mobile network data traffic at 90 exabytes per month and increasing at 40% annually, new levels of spectral efficiency and flexibility are required by 5G and future networks. It is imperative that an additional spectrum in the midband is allocated by governments as it works exceptionally well for densely populated metropolitan areas where connectivity demand is high. The mm-wave and other high bands will also play a key role in servicing capacity demands, where offloading requirements from the midband spectrum can occur when and where needed.
Some key topics surrounding receiver standards in this report include
This column has often reported the concerns raised by various organizations about the gap in access to connectivity between different areas of the world—a problem exacerbated by the pandemic. Unfortunately, the digital connectivity divide separating the globe’s least developed countries (LDCs) from the world as a whole shows no sign of narrowing. In fact, it is widening on key factors, as reported by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in its recent (March 2023) document, “Facts and Figures: Focus on Least Developed Countries” [3].
While the share of the population in LDCs using the Internet has increased since 2011 from 4% to 36%, about two-thirds of the LDC population remains offline. LDCs also still face numerous barriers to meaningful connectivity, including lack of infrastructure, affordability, and skills.
Although no single figure can capture all aspects and complexities of the digital divide, the gap between LDCs and the world in the share of people using the Internet has actually increased from 27 percentage points in 2011 to 30 percentage points in 2022. The ITU study, prepared ahead of the Fifth United Nations (UN) Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), focuses on trends in digital connectivity in LDCs since 2011, when the UN last held its global conference on LDCs.
According to the research, which uses data from the ITU’s Facts and Figures 2022, an estimated 407 million people in LDCs were using the Internet in 2022. The 720 million people still offline in LDCs represent 27% of the global offline population, even though the LDC population accounts for only 14% of the world population.
The study highlights that only 83% of the combined LDC population is covered by a mobile broadband signal 3G or above, the main way to connect to the Internet in most developing countries. This compares with 95% coverage for the overall world population.
The report also found that the cost of using Internet services inched downward across the globe in 2022, although it underlined that accessing the Internet is more costly in LDCs than anywhere else in the world.
According to the ITU, the challenge of getting communities online has also become more complex over the last decade, involving more than just constructing physical connections.
For LDCs, the goal of universal and meaningful connectivity—when a safe, satisfying, enriching, productive, and affordable online experience is available to all—remains a distant prospect. Even many of those who can access the Internet do not because of the barriers, ranging from awareness, to skills, to costs.
[1] “The evolution of open RAN,” 5G Americas, Bellevue, WA, USA, White Paper, 2023. [Online] . Available: https://www.5gamericas.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-Evolution-of-Open-RAN-InDesign.pdf
[2] “Mid-band spectrum update,” 5G Americas, Bellevue, WA, USA, White Paper, 2023. [Online] . Available: https://www.5gamericas.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mid-Band-Spectrum-Update-2023-Id.pdf
[3] “Facts and figures: Focus on least developed countries,” International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland, Mar. 2023. [Online] . Available: https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/facts-figures-for-ldc/
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MVT.2023.3263073