Standardization of 5G Technologies Reaches Final Stage, Former China Mobile Chairman Says
Tang Shihua
(Yicai Global) March 21 — The standardization of China’s 5G technologies has reached its final stage, while technologies related to the sector are now in a mature phase, said the former chairman of one the country’s biggest mobile carriers.
Applications of 5G technology will center on two aspects, namely eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband) offering a larger network capacity, and uRLLC (ultra-reliable low latency communication), said Wang Jianzhou, former chairman at China Mobile Communications Corp., in a speech at a forum held by mobile industry trade body Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) in Beijing.
China is currently leading the global development of 5G networks, which are expected to be at least ten times faster than 4G, and aims to roll out commercial services as early as next year. The number of 5G users worldwide will reach 1 billion by 2023, said telecoms giant Ericsson Ltd. in a report last December. The country is expected to make up more than half of users by 2022, says research firm CCS Insight Ltd.
“When 5G is combined with artificial intelligence, its application will hit a critical point,” said Wang, who currently serves as an advisor for GSMA, a trade body representing the interests of mobile network operators worldwide.
Wang expects 5G to bring significant changes to terminals, despite widespread attention being focused on latest smartphone features. “Currently, mobile phones act as a personal information center, but they will develop into an intelligent control center. There will be considerable changes in mobile operating systems,” he said.
Regarding the distribution of frequencies, Wang said it will be hard for operators to meet the peak 5G download rate of 20 gigabytes-per-second if they only have access to 100 megahertz frequencies. He suggests the adoption of millimeter-wave frequency bands, as well the sharing of frequency resources among operators, or even a shared access system.
