After 5G, why did 5G-A emerge?

At the 2024 Mobile World Congress held not long ago, a new technology became the focus of everyone's attention, which is 5G-A technology. What kind of technology is this? How will its emergence change our lives? Next, let us unveil the mystery of 5G-A together.

At the 2024 Mobile World Congress, 5G-A and AI became the biggest hot spots. Image/Visual China

What is 5G-A

5G-A, also known as "5.5G", is a mobile communication technology between 5G and 6G. You may be curious, hasn't the mobile communication technology family been updated in the same way as 3G, 4G, and 5G? Why is it that after 5G, it is not directly upgraded to 6G, but 5.5G with a decimal appears?

In fact, this is mainly because mobile communication technology is updated approximately every 10 years, and due to the rapid development of technology, the technological gap between each generation is quite large, so in the middle of these 10 years, there often appears a transitional generation between two generations. Before 5.5G, the mobile communication technology family also had 2.5G, 3.5G, and 4.5G, but they were not well-known because they were not well-known.

5G-A is a mobile communication technology between 5G and 6G. Image/Network

5G-A is better than 5G

Although 5G-A is a transition between 5G and 6G, it performs better than 5G in many aspects, such as:

Faster

One of the outstanding features of 5G-A is its high speed. According to reports, the maximum data download rate of 5G-A will be increased from 1G in the early stage of 5G to 10G. This means that a video of several GB that previously took a long time to download can now be completed in just a few seconds.

Lower latency

5G-A also performs well in terms of network latency, achieving ultra-low latency at the millisecond level. Once commercialized, this will greatly shorten data transmission time and improve the response speed of application network devices.

Stronger ability to connect devices

With the continuous upgrading of mobile communication technology, the ability to connect devices is also gradually increasing. Although the 5G we are using now can already support the connection of a large number of devices, its performance may be affected to a certain extent in a device-intensive environment. 5G-A technology makes up for this shortcoming well and can maintain a stable connection in the same environment.

5G-A makes our life better

The powerful 5G-A can bring us surprises in many fields, such as:

Transportation

With high speed, low latency and strong connectivity, 5G-A can better meet the driving needs of intelligent connected cars. It can provide real-time information on traffic accidents, pedestrian intrusions, non-motor vehicle intrusions, etc. for moving vehicles, which helps reduce the occurrence of traffic accidents, improve the safety and efficiency of transportation, and thus better support the development of smart cars.

Leisure and entertainment

The application of 5G-A technology will also bring us a variety of new leisure and entertainment experiences. With the rapid development of electronic information technology, we can enjoy more and more beautiful scenery around the world without leaving home. However, it is often difficult for us to feel immersive when watching beautiful scenery with traditional electronic devices such as TVs, tablets and mobile phones. The combination of 5G-A technology and naked-eye 3D technology will present us with smoother and more vivid 3D images, making us feel as if we are in a real scene. In addition, the combination of 5G-A and naked-eye 3D will also bring us new experiences such as naked-eye 3D live broadcast, naked-eye 3D games, and naked-eye 3D shopping, allowing us to enjoy the visual feast brought by high technology.

Logistics

Online shopping platforms have gradually become the first choice for many people due to their advantages such as a wide range of goods, convenient shopping, and time saving. Every day, a large number of goods are shipped from the place of shipment to various places. In order to increase the transportation speed of logistics packages, people have adopted high-tech means such as intelligent sorting and robot transportation. The addition of 5G-A technology will further promote the development of the logistics field. By taking measures such as remote digital management of vehicles, scheduling and tracking, 5G-A will further improve logistics operation efficiency and reduce operating costs.

Manufacturing

5G-A can also play an important role in the manufacturing field. It can not only avoid the problems of multiple layers, multiple cables, and production interruptions caused by wear and tear that may occur in traditional wired networks during use, but also enable some high-end core manufacturing links that require high response speed to be better carried out with its high reliability and low latency.

5G-A is not far away

Although the name "5G-A" may be unfamiliar to us, this excellent mobile communication technology is not far away from us. Many cities have proposed plans for 5G-A applications. For example, Hangzhou is expected to complete the coverage of 1,000 stations this year, and Shanghai plans to initially build a global dual 10G city marked by 5G-A and 10G optical network by the end of 2026.

At the same time, some pilot projects supported by 5G-A networks have also begun to be implemented. In the Jinqiao Intelligent Connected Vehicle Test Demonstration Zone in Pudong, Shanghai, my country has opened the world's first 5G-A Internet of Vehicles demonstration route. It is said that on this route, only one 5G module is needed to allow the vehicle to reach the intelligent passing line. In addition, during the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, China Mobile Zhejiang Company used 5G-A to allow the audience to enjoy the visual feast brought by new technologies such as naked-eye 3D, 8K ultra-high definition, and free viewing angle. At the Seiko Automation Factory in Baoding, Hebei, the combination of 5G-A and industrial control has significantly improved automobile production capacity.

5G-A brings many wonderful things to the Hangzhou Asian Games. Photo/Network

It is worth mentioning that it is not only China that is pushing the 5G-A industry towards commercial use. Many countries around the world are actively promoting the development and application of 5G-A technology. On December 7, 2023, a number of telecommunications companies and institutions in the Middle East jointly announced the official opening of the first year of 5G-A and the entry into the 5G-A era; on December 13 of the same year, Finnish operator DNA released Europe's first 5G-A technology application based on an existing network. I believe that with the joint efforts of people from all countries, 5G-A technology will eventually enter our lives like its predecessors, bringing more convenience and excitement to our lives.

Of course, 5G-A is not the end. We expect subsequent members of mobile communications to play a greater role based on 5G-A and bring us into new eras of mobile communications.

Text/Lin Kuanyu