At an event to the launch of the annual “Predictions” report compiled by GSA’s official research partner CCS Insights, its team of researchers outlined where they believe the mobile telecoms industry is headed. Sponsored by the GSA, the event brought together over 120 leaders from the connected technology industry, to gain exclusive insights from analysts and industry experts.
One of the major talking points at this year’s event was how the advent of standalone 5G and 5G-Advanced means the industry now has an opportunity to realign expectations with reality.

You can download the full CCS Insights booklet of all 93 predictions, but here we pull out the ones that most caught our eye.

• By 2028, Internet of Things devices using 5G RedCap will outnumber 5G phones as the beneficial cost dynamics of 5G RedCap make the device ecosystem more accessible to enterprises and help satisfy an increasing demand for interconnected smart devices in manufacturing, healthcare and smart cities.
• By the end of 2028, more than half of new 5G standalone networks will support RedCap. This is backed up by GSA data which [SO1] identified that 23% of operators are already investing in 5G RedCap and, as more applications emerge, e.g. drones, power grids, robotics and transportation, this will accelerate.
• By 2028, fixed wireless access over 5G RedCap networks will eclipse LTE-based fixed wireless access in developing regions. This technology is well-suited to rural areas or countries with low levels of fibre penetration, such as Africa and the Middle East. where full 5G FWA is too costly.
• Despite geopolitics, there will be a single 6G standard globally. Within the context of past mobile technology divisions, the progress to a common 6G standard in 2030 and beyond will continue.
• 6G will arrive on time, with lead operators deploying the standard in 2030. Improvements promised by 6G will address many of 5G’s rough edges
• In Europe, the first companies to acquire 6G mobile spectrum may not be telecom operators. Allocation may go to large corporate companies, universities, neutral host providers and governments reflecting initial hesitancy by operators to invest heavily in another round of network upgrades.
• By 2025 a US carrier will surpass 100 private network deployments using its public network as part of a widespread drive to increase the adoption of private 5G and LTE networks by various industry sectors.
• By 2027, a European telecom operator will reposition itself as an enterprise specialist to prioritise its business unit, off the back of wider adoption of 5G and 5G standalone networks, which can be used to power automation, IoT and private networks.

CCS Predictions 2025

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An analysis of GCF device certifications in 2021

By combining conformance and interoperability tests undertaken in laboratories with field trials on multiple commercial networks, GCF Certification verifies the quality of the interoperability between mobile phones, wireless or IoT devices across different network elements and vendors’ infrastructure.

Hundreds and hundreds of different devices are certified each year. The following is an analysis of GCF’s certification listings which provides insight into current trends within the mobile device market.

Executive Summary

The Global Certification Forum (GCF) is the globally recognised quality mark for the interoperability of mobile phones and other devices that incorporate mobile connectivity.

As of June 2022, over 150 device manufacturers across 25 countries are participating in GCF. The GCF suite of certification solutions is also recognised by operators with interests in global markets. This annual review of Mobile Device Trends is based on an analysis of device certifications published by the Global Certification Forum during 2021. The analysis provides insights into the mobile technologies and functionalities being requested by operators and end-users across markets worldwide. It also takes into account the effect of Covid-19
on the sector and certifications. A total of 609 devices from 89 manufacturers were certified by GCF in 2021.

Mobile Device Trends 2021 – GCF White Paper

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GSA Research

Mobile industry research is the backbone of GSA activity and covers topics from devices, chipsets and technology, to networks, features and spectrum.

The GSA research team is constantly following market dynamics and activity to ensure the latest data is available to GSA users via the GSA website.

Data is updated monthly and quarterly and can be referenced by users who register for free on the GSA website and download multiple reports, charts and videos of webinars. GSA welcomes any contributions on industry data from mobile operators, vendors and suppliers what want to ensure accurate industry data is shared globally.

GSA GAMBoD Database

GSA reports are based on extensive data contained in the GSA GAMBoD databases, which is a resource available to GSA members and associates. Companies and policy makers can subscribe, as a GSA associate, to gain access to GSA databases and member reports for additional insights into the source data behind reports, which can be used for their own research purposes.

Discounted annual subscription are available to regulators, government agencies and licensed mobile operators.

Please email info@gsacom.com for more information.

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5G fixed wireless access (FWA) is now a commercial reality in developed and developing countries around the world. While FWA solutions have been around for more than two decades, the massive performance improvements enabled by 5G and the use of mmWave spectrum (enabling speeds that are over 10 times that of 4G) make 5G FWA a competitive solution compared to the predominant technologies in the fixed broadband market.

This report forms part of a research series that reviews the implications and costs associated with deploying 5G FWA services in several regions around the world. In this second report, we focus on the scenario of a mobile operator that has an existing 5G network for mobile services and is looking to deploy a fixed broadband offering. The operator has limited sub‑6 GHz spectrum available (40 MHz) and a reasonable amount of mmWave spectrum in the 26–28 GHz bands (400 MHz). We use our unique TCO model to establish under what conditions deploying 5G FWA can be a cost-effective connectivity option. The scenario is relevant to mid-band constrained mobile operators that do not have a fixed offering, or mid-band constrained converged operators looking to complement or upgrade their wireline networks in underserved areas.

The link for the report is here: https://data.gsmaintelligence.com/research/research/research-2022/the-5g-fwa-opportunity-a-tco-model-for-a-5g-mmwave-fwa-network

GSMA Intelligence have given permission for this report to be promoted via the GSA web site.

© 2022 – GSMA Intelligence. This research and material has been prepared by GSMA Intelligence thanks to the sponsorship of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. GSMA Intelligence is not liable for the accuracy of this material when used or relied on by a third party. GSMA Intelligence accepts no responsibility for errors in the information sourced or provided nor the effect of any such errors on any analysis, suggestions or recommendations.

The 5G FWA opportunity

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According to Machina Research, the number of global loT conections will reach 27 billion by 2025. Among them, the total size of cellular loT connections is expected to exceed 5 billion. Technologically, as the world is moving towards the 5G era, and 4G has become the mainstream mobile communication system, shortcomings of 2G/ 3G become increasingly obvious either regarding spectrum allocation efficiency, wireless peformance, or operation and maintenance costs. The worldwide 2G/3G sunset is in progress with many countries giving their own timelines based on their needs for telecommunications networks.

The retirement of 2G/ 3G requires mature alternative technologies to meet the development needs of low and mid-speed loT applications (within lO Mbps on the downlink and 5Mbps uplink) that account for 90% of the overall cellular loT connections.

This white paper is to help you through the 2G/3G sunset to find the right, replacing cellular technologies for your loT applications. We will compare the characteristics of the alternative technologies and their applicable loT scenarios respectively, analyze the factors in decision-making, and list the successful loT cases using the substitute technologies.

LPWA (Low Power Wide Area}, including NB-loT and LTE Cat M, as well as LTE Catl, have become the main choices for wireless connectivity for low and mid-speed loT applications after 2G/3G has started to withdraw from the stage.

According to GSMA, as of September 2020, the total number of deployed NB-loT and Cat M-based low and medium-speed loT networks worldwide reached 112, of which 96 support NB-loT, 46 support Cat M and 30 support both NB-loT and Cat M. In China, the three major operators are deploying LTE Cat 1 technology for the mid-speed loT businesses. Up to now, the scale of domestic LTE Cat 1 commercial chips in China has reached 10 million.

NB-loT, featuring wide network coverage and ultra-low power consumption, is suitable for low-speed loT applications that needs long-distance, small amount of communication data transmission with mere latency demand. LTE Cat 1 and Cat M technologies are more suitable for loT applications that require relatively high mobility, high data rate and volume, as well as voice capabilities (see Figure 4, Figure 5).

2G-3G Shutdowns: A Comprehensive Guide

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For more than 18 months now, the world has faced a crisis on a scale that defies belief. As countries around the world deal with different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that technology, and specifically connectivity, increasingly supports many aspects of our everyday lives.

The resilience and diligence of our industry continues to be evidenced by the striking numbers in this edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report. The speed of 5G uptake is far higher than it was for 4G, let alone 3G, and it is one more sign of an industry that tirelessly continues to drive innovation and bring new technology to the market.

So far, more than 160 communications service providers have launched 5G services and over 300 5G smartphone models have been announced or launched commercially. Before the end of this year, we will have surpassed half a billion 5G users in the world. However, the picture becomes a bit different when looking at the development on a regional level, where it is clear that it will take longer in some regions for 5G to be deployed and ready for mass-adoption. Nevertheless, whether it’s 4G or 5G, the need for good, high-speed connectivity is virtually limitless. The fact that more than 70 percent of all service providers are now offering fixed wireless access (FWA) services speaks to this need.

As societies plan a return to a more normal situation after the pandemic, the need to secure and invest in high-quality digital infrastructure should be on everyone’s agenda as a key component of economic recovery. It’s a good thing, then, that the industry able to deliver on that need is already on its way to doing so.

We hope you find the report engaging and useful!

Ericsson Mobility Report – June 2021

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In late March, 3GPP held its RAN #91 electronic plenary. In addition to electing new leadership, the plenary made several important decisions on 5G NR functionality (Release 17) that we would like to highlight in this Signals Flash! report. As always, unlike our subscription-based Signals Ahead reports, you may forward this Signals Flash! report to whomever you want.

➤ Patience is a Virtue. For our Signals Ahead subscribers who are looking for the next Signals Ahead report, all we can say is patience is a virtue. There is a lot of effort going into the next report and given the uniqueness and relevance of the study, we are confident it will be worth the wait.

➤ RedCap. Reduced Capability (RedCap) devices fall in between eMBB and URLLC – wearables are a great example of a RedCap device, or UE (user equipment). To date, the big debate has involved the minimum number of receiver antenna ports (1, 2, or 4) as well as the minimum/ maximum channel bandwidth. Problem solved!

➤ DSS. Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) remains a hot topic since it is a key requirement for most operators (either now or at some point in the future). The current debate focuses on how to optimize its performance, which also requires a clear understanding of how it is supposed to perform today.

➤ Relays. Relay functionality involves mobile devices communicating directly with each other, much like exists with V2X and the PC5 interface. The feature, which can involve UE-to-UE or UE-to-Network scenarios, is ideal for extending coverage into out-of-coverage areas to deliver higher data rates and/or improve battery life. Relays are also a critical feature for first responders.

➤ Odds and Ends. We also discuss RAN slicing, which extends network slicing to the radio access network, UDC (uplink data compression), and 5G NR Broadcast, which introduces new frequency bands and channel bandwidths to support the global needs of broadcast companies. There was also lots of standardization activity

RAN#91e Plenary Highlights: Signals Research Group – April 2021

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Over time, most non-standalone 5G deployments are expected to be migrated to, or augmented by additional, 5G standalone networks. Based on a totally new, cloud-based, virtualised, microservices-based core infrastructure, some of the anticipated benefits of introducing 5G standalone technologies include faster connection times (lower latency), support for massive numbers of devices, programmable systems enabling faster and more agile creation of services and network slices, with improved support for SLA management within those slices, and the advent of voice-over new radio. Introduction of 5G standalone is expected to facilitate simplification of architectures, improve security and reduce costs. 5G standalone is expected to enable customisation and open up new service and revenue opportunities tailored to enterprise, industrial and government customers.

GSA is tracking the emergence of the 5G standalone system, including the availability of chipsets and devices for customers, plus the testing and then deployment of 5G standalone networks by public mobile network operators as well as private network operators. This paper is the latest in an ongoing series of papers summarising market trends, drawing on the data collected in GSA’s various databases covering chipsets, devices, spectrum and networks.

Investment in 5G standalone by public and private network operators

5G standalone networks can be deployed in a variety of scenarios: as an overlay for a public 5G non-standalone (NSA) network, as a greenfield 5G deployment for a public network operator without a separate LTE network, or as a private network deployment for an enterprise, utility, education, government or any other organisation requiring its own private campus network.

GSA has identified 68 operators in 38 countries worldwide that have been investing in public 5G SA networks (in the form of trials, planned or actual deployments). This compares with over 400 operators known to be investing in 5G licences, trials or deployments.

At least seven operators in five countries/territories are understood to have launched public 5G SA networks: China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom have all launched 5G standalone networks (China Telecom and China Unicom sharing some of the network construction). China Mobile has deployed or upgraded 400,000 base stations to support standalone services, whilst China Telecom announced service launch covering more than 300 cities. T-Mobile in the USA has launched 5G standalone nationwide using spectrum at 600 MHz, RAIN has launched 5G SA in parts of Cape Town in South Africa to support 5G FWA services and DIRECTV in Colombia has launched 5G SA for FWA in parts of Bogota. China Mobile Hong Kong announced the launch of 5G SA in late 2020. In Saudi Arabia, STC has announced that it has activated its 5G SA networks, although GSA is waiting for confirmation of availability of commercial services for customers before classifying its 5G SA networks as launched. Also, in Saudi Arabia, ITC has announced a soft launch of a 5G standalone network. In Australia, Telstra has deployed a 5G core network and has stated it is ready to launch its 5G SA network once a sufficient range of suitable devices is available in the Australian market. In addition to these three, various other operators are deploying 5G SA and numerous contracts for the deployment of 5G core systems (sometimes in multiple countries) have been announced.

5G Standalone 2021 – Member Report

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Key Highlights

A lot has happened with 5G NR (New Radio) in the last year since we published our first paper for Qualcomm on 5G NR. In addition to the proliferation of new 5G NR smartphone models, including mid-tier 5G NR smartphones, there have been several technology advancements which have made 5G NR easier to deploy, capable of achieving even higher data speeds, and introduced compelling new use cases. As an update to last year’s whitepaper, we highlight some of the advancements associated with 5G NR mmWave (millimeter wave), or 5G NR deployed in millimeter frequency bands, specifically 28 GHz and 39 GHz in North America.

The most effective means of increasing data speeds is to increase the bandwidth of the radio channel(s) serving the mobile device. In the last several months the wireless ecosystem has increased the amount of mmWave bandwidth providing downlink and uplink data transfers, literally doubling the channel bandwidth in both directions by introducing larger downlink and uplink carrier aggregation schemes. Specifically, network infrastructure, chipsets, and mobile devices in North America now support eight 100 MHz channels (8×100 MHz or 8CC) in the downlink direction and two 100 MHz channels (2×100 MHz or 2CC) in the uplink direction. Previously, the limitation was 4CC in the downlink direction (cell site to mobile device) and 1CC in the uplink (mobile device to cell site).

In addition to increases in user data speeds, there are new 5G NR mmWave use cases, thanks to technology advancements as well as to the overall market maturity. Operators have always been interested in using 5G NR mmWave to offer fixed wireless access (FWA) services, and with the recent introduction of high-power CPEs (consumer premise equipment) and slight modifications to the configuration of the mmWave radio channel, the prospect of mmWave FWA is compelling. In addition to extending the effective range of the mmWave signal to several kilometers versus a few blocks, the high-power CPE enables mmWave signals to provide meaningful data speeds with near- and even non-line-of-sight (NLOS) radio conditions.

5G NR mmWave services are no longer limited to outdoor deployment scenarios. When deployed indoors, mmWave cell sites provide surprisingly good coverage for enterprise use cases. In effect, the mmWave signals extend well beyond LOS conditions, providing coverage in front and behind the 5G NR mmWave radio, as well as around hallway corners and into individual office spaces, thanks to the reflective nature of the mmWave signals.

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Nearly every sector of the economy now relies upon wireless technologies — from banking and agriculture to transportation and health care. “Houlin Zhao” ITU Secretary General.

Wireless communications have helped connect billions of people to the Internet so that they can reap the benefits of today’s digital economy. Nearly every sector of the economy now relies upon wireless technologies — from banking and agriculture to transportation and health care. And powerful new technologies that rely on robust wireless communications networks — such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things — hold great promise to improve lives at an unprecedented pace and scale.

Indeed, they have potential to accelerate progress towards achieving each of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU–R) globally regulates the use of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits to ensure these critical resources are used rationally, efficiently, economically, and equitably, and to prevent harmful interference between services of different government administrations.

In October, ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC‑19) will update the very important Radio Regulations international treaty, enabling those industries that are using current and future terrestrial radiocommunication technologies to continue to bring benefits to everyone.

In this edition of the ITU News Magazine you will learn more about the importance of terrestrial wireless communications and how WRC‑19 can enable their continued success and rollout.

©2019 ITU

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To provide information and suggestions for facilitating the efficient utilisation and fast deployment of TD-LTE globally and smooth evolution to 5G NR, this white paper summarises the advantages of TDD spectrum, driving forces of rapid TDD network deployment and fast TDD spectrum allocation for 5G.Further, spectrum-related issues on TDD applications and network deployment are discussed and corresponding solutions for commercial deployment are presented.

Also, this white paper identifies major TDD market trends as follows:

• TDD spectrum is becoming more and more important with new values: the rapid development of new technologies such as massive MIMO and mature industry ecosystem and smooth evolution to 5G
• As the demand for unlimited packages and wireless home broadband grows, TDD network deployment is accelerating around the world to effectively resolve capacity and experience issues with evolution capabilities.
• TDD spectrum allocation has become a majorconcern of national regulators. TDD spectrum (for example, 2.3 GHz, 2.6 GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 4.8 GHz) allocation is accelerating, not only to meet the network requirements in the short term, but also to meet the strategic requirements for telecommunication industry development in the long term.

To facilitate fast TD-LTE and NR deployment, this white paper also provides the following recommendations and suggestions for operators, standardisation organisations, and regulators:

• Accelerate the allocation of TDD spectrum (especially 2.3 GHz, 2.6 GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 4.8 GHz bands) to break through the 4G traffic bottleneck and quickly evolveto 5G
• Guide reasonable spectrum pricing and issue nationwide exclusive licenses with a 15-to 20-year validity period. This plays a fundamental role in maintaining the flourishing development of the mobile industry while advancing rapid deployment of wireless infrastructure.
• Contiguous TDD spectrum assignments employing wide blocks is beneficial for improving mobile broadband experience and spectrum efficiency of networks. 2.6GHz(band 41) is recommended for contiguous TDD spectrum allocation leveraging the large bandwidth
• New spectrum assignments must be technology and service neutral
• Synchronized operation amongst TDD networks is recommended for best spectrum utilization
• Speed up the reclaiming of TDD spectrum still occupied by old technologies or satellitesand re-assign these resourcesto improve spectral efficiency and contribute to economic development.

©2019 GTI

TDD Spectrum

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