5G Trend Prediction in 2021

More than a year after 5G was launched for commercial use, China has built the world's largest 5G network. According to the data, 5G has achieved comprehensive and rapid development in 2020:

• More than 700,000 5G base stations have been built, and 330,000 5G base stations have been jointly built and shared.
• From January to November 2020, 5G mobile phones accounted for 51.4% of mobile phone market shipments
• 5G coverage has been achieved in all cities and counties in China, and the number of 5G user connections has exceeded 200 million

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However, despite the fruitful achievements of 5G in 2020, Omdia chief analyst Chris Nicoll's analysis of 5G trends in 2021 seems to indicate that the revolution has not yet succeeded and comrades still need to work hard.

Here are some of Chris Nicoll's predictions for 5G:

• In 2021, 5G core networks will be deployed faster, and most networks will choose a multi-mode architecture that can support 4G, 5G NSA, and 5G SA. Due to the impact of the epidemic, the use cases of SA network slicing and low-latency services will also increase significantly. Some network operating software also needs to be upgraded to support hierarchical orchestration.

• OTS options for virtualized and cloud solutions will increase, adding speed-up and AI capabilities in addition to general-purpose processing. More and more customizable OTS platforms will drive the balance and rationalization of local cloud solutions.

• Private networks provide services for their mobile core networks through cloud providers such as AWS and Azure, and issues such as performance, price and data security must be resolved before MNOs (mobile network operators) can use them widely.

• Advanced 5G services such as gaming, VR, and automated applications (robots, vehicles) will be more widely tested and deployed in 2021. Although gaming has achieved some commercial success in certain markets such as Japan and South Korea, and autonomous vehicles have been commercialized in Japan and China, these services are still difficult to popularize.

• "Openness" will continue to advance in 2021, but it does not mean that more new players will join operators. This is because the high costs of testing, integration, operation, training, etc. constitute an obstacle to the introduction of more new suppliers. This situation will continue, but it will improve in 2021. As the open ecosystem matures, many existing obstacles have been overcome, and the current environment has laid the foundation for the expansion of future suppliers.

With the popularization of 5G, security has become a higher requirement. To ensure the security of virtualization, openness and hybrid cloud, a secure device is needed, which will open up new markets for the security supervision and management of networks, platforms and applications.

Currently, in most parts of the world, 5G is still in the construction stage, and the unique services of 5G, including gigabit connections, ultra-low latency, and massive IoT connections, have not been widely commercialized. Therefore, 2021 is still the year to lay the foundation for 5G, and 5G networks will be widely used in 2022 and beyond.