3GPP Release 15 paved the way for 5G NR standardization and laid the foundations for 5G network development. By specifying sophisticated 5G NR techniques such as flexible OFDM-based air interface, advanced channel coding schemes, massive MIMO antenna technology, beam-forming, beam-tracking, etc, 3GPP Rel.15, also known as 5G Phase 1, managed to address various 5G use cases towards 5G early network development.
Moving to 3GPP Release 16
3GPP described the 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) network as the evolution from LTE to 5G and the 5G Standalone network as the next step to support 5G critical and high-demanding use cases. Mobile Operators will, therefore, need to find more flexible ways for an end-to-end scalable 5G network to support 5G use cases in a diverse and interactive environment.
3GPP Release 16, also referred to as 5G phase 2, focuses on further enhancing 5G NR and provide the means for 5G technology evolution. 3GPP Release 16 plans to expand the works of previous releases, Rel. 14/15, regarding LTE and 5G enhancements and also specify new study items for 5G NR.
Release 16 5G working items
5G NR private Industrial IoT and eURLLC: Release 16 is exploring 5G NR capabilities and the opportunity to provide private 5G networks to assist on the industrial IoT applications. 5G NR could take advantage of the high-speed 5G local area networks to support new enhanced URLLC applications and contribute to the creation of smart, connected factories.
5G NR Cellular V2X enhancements: LTE C-V2X as described in Rel.14 will be further developed with 5G NR cellular network communication to provide higher speeds, enhanced safety, a broader range, and higher reliability. 5G NR Cellular V2X in 3GPP release 16 will assure backward compatibility with 3GPP Rel.14/15 supporting vehicles.
5G NR unlicensed, Spectrum Sharing & Dual connectivity: 3GPP is working to expand 5G NR standalone operation in the unlicensed spectrum. Carrier Aggregation may also take place between 5G NR bands in the licensed spectrum and then gradually move to 5G NR with carrier aggregation in the unlicensed spectrum. Dual connectivity can be achieved by aggregating 5G NR spectrum, together with LTE. Carrier aggregation may, therefore, be between NR and LTE, NR and WiFi and NR and NR licensed or unlicensed.
5G broadcast: 5G mobile networks aim to revolutionize TV services. 3GPP is working to enhance the LTE enTV (enhanced TV) use case, as described in Rel. 14, by evolving to a dedicated broadcast 5G network with a common digital platform for various content and services. The goal is to take advantage of 5G cellular networks to deliver next-generation digital TV content towards a 5G terrestrial broadcast/multicast ecosystem.
5G Satellite Access: 3GPP release 16 is working on this study item to assist 5G terrestrial networks with non-terrestrial applications. This means that satellite network can be used to provide 5G roaming between satellite and terrestrial systems, inter-border continuity of 5G services, in-flight, maritime services, enhanced mobility, routing via satellite, satellite IoT assistance, etc.
5G NR Access/Backhaul integration: Study Item to expand Rel.15 deployment of small cells in the millimeter-wave spectrum to deliver low-cost, small form-factor deployments for both access and backhaul to new higher unlicensed frequencies beyond 40GHz, e.g., in the 60 GHz Vband (57-71 GHz).
5G positioning: 5G networks, with a range of diverse network deployments, from macro coverage to 5G small cells and indoor connectivity will change the existing network topologies for the support of various applications such as broadband data rates, mission-critical services, and massive connectivity for the Internet of Things. New 5G network topologies will depend on the upcoming network density in urban environments and the extension to new high-frequency bands.
5G service positioning use cases are described in TR 22.872 (SA1) and categorized to: Regulatory (e.g. emergency call, LI), Mission Critical, Location-Based Services (e.g. LCS, gaming, social networking, position-enabled advertisement), Industry and e-Health (e.g. automation, asset management and tracking, device telemetry – metering, patient monitoring), Road (e.g. vehicle environment, road-user charging), Railway, Maritime, Aerials (e.g. UAV/UAS) and others.
3GPP Release 16 roadmap
3GPP Release 16, with a target date for the end of this year, is aiming to enhance 5G development towards the IMT-2020 standard. 3GPP is currently working on the above study items and the finalization of the new release. 3GPP will continue to work on the evolution of 5G ecosystem and to explore the ways to bring 5G technology closer to our society.