5G is the best? GSA: Gigabit LTE is advancing rapidly

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When it comes to the world's hottest mobile communication technology, 5G is undoubtedly the only answer. Major countries in the world regard 5G as a strategic high ground for competition, and major operators and equipment manufacturers are competing to deploy 5G. According to a report by GSA, by the end of 2020, 140 operators had launched 5G commercial networks in 59 countries and regions.

As a result, we may come to the conclusion that the global mobile communications industry chain is going all out to build 5G, and for other mobile communications standards, operators have significantly reduced or at most maintained the original network level.

However, this is not the case. Although 5G is gaining popularity, Gigabit LTE is also developing in a low-key and pragmatic manner. A report released by GSA on January 12 showed that operators are continuously investing in LTE networks to improve LTE network capabilities, with 72 operators in 48 countries and regions already deploying Gigabit LTE networks.

Gigabit LTE is the evolution of LTE. By adopting three key technologies, carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO and 256QAM modulation, Gigabit LTE can achieve 10 times the speed of the first-generation LTE network, that is, reaching or even exceeding 1bit/s, hence the name Gigabit LTE. Without the need for large investments, Gigabit LTE has greatly increased its speed and can meet the needs of video services. It is the optimal solution for operators to improve their capabilities and expand their businesses at a low cost at this stage.

Therefore, GSA pointed out that although the media's attention is firmly on the development of 5G, global operators have been deploying technologies aimed at improving LTE network capabilities, especially technologies to increase downlink peak rates.

According to GSA statistics, 327 operators in 147 countries and regions have deployed LTE-Advanced networks; 329 operators in 139 countries and regions are investing in at least one of the three Gigabit LTE technologies; 115 operators in 68 countries and regions have invested in the three key technologies of Gigabit LTE, of which 72 operators in 48 countries and regions have deployed these three technologies, which means that Gigabit LTE networks have been commercialized.

In terms of speed, 42 operators can support downlink peak speeds of 750Mbit/s or higher. 32 companies announced that the theoretical downlink peak speed in commercial networks has reached Gigabit or better. 12 can provide Cat-18 equipment to support theoretical downlink peak speeds of up to 1.2Gbit/s. And 6 have speeds between 1.2Gbit/s and 1.6Gbit/s.

GSA expects that as operators re-cultivate spectrum or acquire new spectrum resources, invest in higher-order MIMO technology, and implement new carrier aggregation, existing LTE networks will continue to be upgraded to achieve gigabit network speeds.

5G commercialization is gaining momentum, and 6G pre-research has also begun. However, mobile communications have the characteristics of coexistence of multiple generations, and there are a large number of 4G base stations in the world. According to statistics, my country had 5.44 million 4G base stations in 2019, which is about twice the number in the world. These 4G base stations will coexist and complement 5G for a long time, and will play an important role in some scenarios. Therefore, although 5G is the general trend, maintaining and improving the 4G network cannot be ignored.