5G mobile networks may not be a reality for a few years to come but mobile operators and manufacturers are working hard to test new 5G innovations which will soon hit the market. Both Intel and Nokia have launched 5G-related technologies in 2018.
Intel, Deutsche Telecom and Huawei say they have conducted the world's first successful over-the-air test showcasing 5G interoperability and development testing based on the Release 15 NSA 5G NR specification. The standard is defined through collaboration of the world's telecommunication companies within the 3GPP initiative.
Intel says this testing is "a critical step toward the full commercial launch of Intel-based 5G solutions that will be capable of supporting billions of connected devices by 2019".
The test was based on Huawei's 5G commercial base station and Intel's third-generation 5G NR Mobile Trial Platform. The Intel platform aims to allow equipment makers and operators to speed up time to market.
Deutsche Telecom and Huawei began cooperation on 5G network research in 2016 and say they are committed to accelerating the development and adoption of 5G networks.
The configuration used in this test was based on the largest C-band cell bandwidth defined by the 5G NR standard, incorporating the latest Massive MIMO multi-antenna and beamforming technology. Massive MIMO uses a large array of antennas to provide precise control of a beam to improve network coverage and reduce overall network interference.
Nokia Future X
Meanwhile, Nokia has implemented its "Future X network architecture for 5G", which it believes will deliver breakthrough network performance and reduce costs. The portfolio will be showcased at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of this month, with more 5G-related announcements expected from Nokia at the event.
"Achieving the full potential of 5G demands an end-to-end architecture approach that supports a wide range of technical and commercial requirements," the group says.
Nokia says Future X is a complete 5G solution that includes radio, baseband, transport, core, transformation services and business modelling, supported by customer experience management, short- and long-haul transport, cloud-native core, integrated management systems and turnkey services.
The company recently unveiled its new ReefShark chipsets ? the building blocks of its next-generation 5G network gear ? that promise big increases in data-handling capacity for mobile towers in densely trafficked urban areas or high-rise buildings.
The new silicon chipsets triple capacity to 84-gigabits per second from 28-gigabits in its existing chip modules. The company also said its new chips can cut in half the size of antennas in cell towers, while cutting their power consumption by two-thirds.
Nokia says it is working with 30 global operators using ReefShark and will ramp up field deployments during the third quarter of 2018. Mass-market deployments are expected to follow as 5G-ready devices hit the market.
Finland's Nokia is the world's number two maker of mobile network gear behind China's Huawei.
5G is the communications standard for the future and is set to arrive within the next three years. 5G could account for as many as 1.4 billion connections by 2025, according to the GSM Association, which believes that by then, 5G networks are likely to cover one-third of the world's population.
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