5G standards usher in new upgrades, driving development into a new stage

Industry development starts with standards. On the evening of July 3, the international organization 3GPP announced the freezing of the 5G R16 standard, marking the first evolution of 5G and the official entry of a new stage in the development of global 5G.

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What is the 5G R16 standard? Simply put, it is the standard for the second phase of 5G.

As early as the beginning of 5G development, 3GPP stated that the 5G mobile communication standard is mainly divided into two stages. The first stage is the R15 standard, which focuses on meeting the application requirements of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). This standard was frozen as early as June 2018. The second stage is the R16 standard, and the research on this standard was started simultaneously with the freezing of the R15 standard.

After two years of exploration, 5G has finally successfully completed the upgrade from R15 to R16 standards, which is undoubtedly a sign of its maturity. Compared with the R15 standard, the R16 standard further meets the application requirements of low latency and high reliability (URLLC) and large machine type communications (mMTC), which can be said to fully meet and cover 5G applications.

To sum it up in the words of domestic experts, the fundamental difference between the 5G R15 and R16 standards is that the former makes 5G "usable", while the latter makes 5G "easy to use". The new standards focus on "expanding new capabilities, tapping existing capabilities, and reducing costs and increasing efficiency in operation and maintenance", which not only enhances the ability of 5G to serve industry applications, but also improves efficiency.

So on this basis, what kind of changes will the industry development usher in in the future?

Smart Manufacturing Network believes that the biggest change may be that 5G applications will gradually move from the consumer field to the industry field. At this stage, the main applications of 5G, including 5G mobile phones, are all aimed at the consumer market and ordinary people, but in fact, 5G is more suitable for industry applications. With its high speed and low latency, 5G can completely subvert traditional industries.

At the same time, 5G can also be combined with new technologies and new industries such as drones, robots, industrial Internet, and autonomous driving to promote the rapid rise of new digital economic formats. In the past, because the 5G standard only met the needs of mobile broadband applications, 5G industry applications were difficult to achieve, but now the new standard will undoubtedly make up for this deficiency.

After all, we know that the current popular tracks such as industrial automation are all tested in IoT scenarios such as low latency, high reliability, large connections and low power consumption. Previously, the upstream and downstream industry chains were in a wait-and-see attitude due to the undetermined standards, but now with the freezing of the R16 standard, this situation will change. In the future, 5G industry applications will usher in opportunities.

Of course, whether 5G industry applications can ultimately mature in this process also depends on factors beyond standards, such as 5G supporting facilities, including 5G base stations, 5G modules, 5G chips, and 5G-related talents.

At present, although the number of 5G base stations in my country has exceeded 200,000 and is expected to reach about 700,000 by the end of the year, 5G will not have seamless coverage like 4G. In order to achieve mature implementation of 5G in industry applications, my country needs to provide on-demand coverage for scenarios such as smart agriculture, industrial Internet, and Internet of Vehicles, and also move from outdoor to indoor.

In terms of 5G modules and chips, on the one hand, my country needs to break through relevant technical limitations and enhance the research and development and application capabilities of modules and chips. On the other hand, it is also necessary to develop and produce appropriate supporting facilities according to the application needs of different scenarios, so that 5G can have a more complete, professional and comprehensive landing environment in industry applications, paving the way for 5G commercial use.

In addition, in terms of relevant talents, the integrated development of 5G and various industries also requires compound talents with multi-faceted professional knowledge. This requires my country to further strengthen talent training and reserves, improve relevant talent systems and mechanisms, and provide a steady supply of talents for 5G industry applications, as well as a stable guarantee for the continuous output of talents.

In short, the standard first is only a starting point for 5G applications to mature. In the future, only when supporting facilities and other aspects are synchronized, can the development of 5G produce real qualitative changes!