First 5G Standard To Be Set By 2018 As Nokia Shows Off Next Gen Network

The final standards for the first 5G release will be set by 2018, the 3GPP has confirmed, paving the way for commercial networks to launch in 2020.

Nokia, one of the network equipment manufacturers working on the development of the next generation cellular technology, is set to demonstrate a ‘5G ready’ network using commercially available platforms and infrastructure.

It claims this shows the progress being made on 5G development and is evidence that the 2020 deadline is achievable.

Read More: What are 5G networks?

5G standards

The 3GPP Technical Specifications Group has released a detailed workplan for ‘Release-15’, which will be the first 5G specifications, including checkpoints for the various working groups. Significantly, the 3GPP stresses the importance of ‘forward compatibility’ to account for unidentified use cases.

“We now have a more concrete plan to guide the studies in the Working Groups and to put us in the position to address both short term and long term opportunities of 5G” said Dino Flore, Chairman of 3GPP TSG RAN.

“3GPP continues to actively coordinate radio access NR and Next Generation system level work to standardize target services on schedule” added Erik Guttman, Chairman of 3GPP TSG SA.

5G progress

There is a general consensus that 5G will offer faster speeds, low latency, more efficient energy use and higher capacity – characteristics that can help support the expected growth in IoT applications. Specifically, commercial networks will offer speeds of at least 1Gbps, be 100 times more reliable and energy efficient than 4G and offer capacity of 1,000 times more.

Nokia will show off its 5G network at 5G world in London, claiming the use of commercially available equipment will make it easier for operators to make the transition and scale efficiently.

“By introducing 5G-ready technologies now in our commercial solutions, which support today’s LTE-Advanced and the upcoming LTE-Advanced Pro / Pro II, our customers can smartly bridge their networks to 5G,” explained Hossein Molin, CTO of Nokia’s mobile networks group.

At 5G world, Nokia will also demonstrate a new concept known as ‘network slicing’. This automatically creates and maps capabilities for the radio, transport, core and application layers of the network into a distinct and discreet ‘slice’. This, it says, will make it easier to create new services instantly and meet specific demands for an application.

Nokia is just one of a number of companies working on 5G, with Huawei, Ericsson and major operators also involved in projects such as the 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) at the University of Surrey.

Separately, Huawei and China Mobile have demonstrated a number of 5G technologies at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai, including its own network slicing product and 3.5GHz ‘C band’ prototype.

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