A Look at the Current Status of 5G and Millimeter Waves at Home and Abroad [Part 2]--Standardization Trends and Movements in Each Country
5G services are progressing in countries around the world. On the other hand, the use of "millimeter wave," which uses a higher frequency band among 5G services, is still limited, although the allocation of frequencies is progressing. In this article, we will introduce the domestic and international status of 5G and millimeter wave services in two parts....
2023/12/03
Posted on 2023/12/03
5G services are progressing in countries around the world. On the other hand, the use of "millimeter wave," which uses a higher frequency band among 5G services, is still limited, although the allocation of frequencies is progressing. In this article, we will introduce the domestic and international status of 5G and millimeter wave services in two parts. In Part I, we looked at 5G and millimeter wave frequency allocations, the status of commercial service launches, and the status of millimeter wave-compatible handsets. In this second part, we will explain 3GPP standardization trends and movements in each country.
3GPP Standardization Trends
In GPP, bands n257, n258, n259, n260, n261, and n262 have been standardized in the FR2 band (24250 MHz - 52600 MHz) since Rel-15, and in Rel-17, the FR2-2 band (52600 MHz - 71000 MHz) and band n263 was also standardized.
| NR Band | frequency (esp. of waveforms) | duplex | Major Regions |
| n257 | 26500 MHz - 29500 MHz | TDD | Japan, Korea |
| n258 | 24250 MHz - 27500 MHz | TDD | Europe, India, Australia, etc. |
| n259 | 39500 MHz - 43500 MHz | TDD | |
| n260 | 37000 MHz - 40000 MHz | TDD | United States of America |
| n261 | 27500 MHz - 28350 MHz | TDD | United States of America |
| n262 | 47200 MHz - 48200 MHz | TDD | United States of America |
| n263 | 57000 MHz - 71000 MHz | TDD |
In addition to portable terminals such as smartphones, specifications for FWA-type, in-vehicle, and high-speed rail terminals have been standardized so far as applications for millimeter wave. The maximum continuous bandwidth increase by carrier aggregation (from 1.2 GHz to 2.4 GHz) and the addition of specifications for carrier aggregation between millimeter wave bands have also been made by Rel-17, and the performance improvement of millimeter wave communications, such as further advancement and functional expansion of massive-MIMO, which is introduced in Chapter 4 The 3GPP standard is continuously being revised to improve the performance of millimeter-wave communications, including further advancement and functional enhancement of massive-MIMO, which is introduced in Chapter 4.
Trends in countries other than Japan
U.S.A.
In the U.S., spectrum has been licensed to AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and other operators, and use in FWA and the use of hotspots in urban and high-traffic areas is progressing.
Licenses are also required to achieve a population coverage rate of at least 401 TP3T in the area where the licensee holds the license [1].
In contrast, Verizon is aggressively using millimeter wave base stations in more than 1,500 cities across the U.S., with more than 40,000 stations installed in locations such as stadiums and train stations, as well as concentrated in urban areas. In addition, Verizon aims to provide FWA service (millimeter wave and C-band) to 50 million homes by 2025 [1].
As for compatible terminals, as Table 2-2 shows, the spread is steadily increasing. This can be attributed in part to the fact that some terminals with a high market share in the U.S. will be millimeter wave compatible from 2020 onward.
| counter for years (following a number in the hito-futa-mi counting system) | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millimeter wave-enabled handset market share | 0.3% | 4.3% | 43.1% | 57.3% |
As the infrastructure improves and compatible terminals become more widely available, new use cases for broadcast coverage and sporting events are emerging as millimeter wave usage progresses in stadiums, train stations and other transportation hubs, indoor shopping malls, outdoor gathering places, and other locations. Various ways to watch large-scale sporting events such as American football, Formula 1, and ice hockey using millimeter wave have started to become popular and have been reported to be well received [3]. Thus, B2B2C business using advanced networks where millimeter wave is actively used is gradually expanding. [3]
Europe
Deutsche Telekom (Germany), Elisa (Finland), FastWeb (Italy) and TIM (Italy) are in the early stages of commercialization; FWA, smart phone and industrial applications are the main focus. In addition, projects to build several model cities are under consideration and underway [1].
In the UK, 26 GHz (24.25 GHz-27.5 GHz) and 40 GHz (40.5 GHz-43.5 GHz) millimeter waves will be allocated for 5G and other mobile technologies, and the design of the auction (Q2 2024) and the conditions for granting local licenses were discussed in March 2023 at the Pub The public comment process was initiated in March 2023. For frequency allocation, local licenses will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis in major towns and cities (high-density areas) where millimeter wave deployment is expected to be the highest, using a shared access licensing framework, and city/town-wide allocation will be This is to be done through an auction. In low-density areas, where deployment is expected to be sparse, millimeter wave local licenses will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis using the Shared Access licensing framework [8].
In France, in 2023, the government plans to launch a new call for proposals (envisaging investments of more than €750 billion by 2025) as part of the France 2030 policy to provide support [1].
- R&D to facilitate the development of 5G and the development of 6G and next generation networks
- Develop solutions for telecommunication networks that guarantee a high level of security and reliability
- Improving the environmental impact of telecommunications networks
In France, other initiatives in the healthcare sector are also underway, such as the 26 GHz band at the University Hospital of Rennes as part of the European 5G-TOURS research project [1].
In Spain, Telefonica's first millimeter wave commercial station (made by Ericson) was installed at MWC in Barcelona at the end of February 2023 and was used by visitors and millimeter wave-related exhibits Qualcomm's booth displayed millimeter wave-enabled terminals and demonstrated speed tests The demonstration showed that millimeter-wave-capable handsets and speed tests were used in the booth. The demonstration showed that speeds did not drop significantly even in the presence of obstructions such as PCs, although the results were greatly affected by the communication environment.
 |  |  |
| MWC 2023 Millimeter wave base station at the venue | Normal condition (Downlink: approx. 3.0 Gbps) | Shielded by PC (Downlink: approx. 3.0 Gbps) |
China
In China, 5G NW deployment using sub6 is progressing rapidly, with 2,312,000 stations built by December 2022. On the other hand, millimeter wave licenses for telecom operators have not been granted as of February 2023. As for licenses for private networks, the first domestic commercial license (5925 MHz-6125 MHz, 24.75 GHz-25.15 GHz frequencies) was granted to COMAC (a Chinese aircraft manufacturer) in October 2022 [9].
Millimeter waves are expected to supplement the coverage of 5G services and increase network capacity, and R&D and testing efforts have been conducted to date.
Steady efforts are being made to unify specifications through testing of key technologies in 2019, complete the test environment and performance test system through equipment testing in 2020, test SA services in 2021, and millimeter wave testing in 2022 [10].
South Korea
In South Korea, 800 MHz frequency was allocated to each company in the 28 GHz band in June 2018 as a result of a frequency auction to Korea Telecom, SK Telecom, and LG Uplus. 15,000 base stations were obligated to be installed within three years.
Although the government continued to encourage investment in the 28 Ghz band, the operators prioritized investment in the 3.5 GHz band, resulting in the suspension of allocations in November 2022[12] for LG U+ and KT, and in May 2023[13] for SKT, rather than waiting until the original frequency allocation deadline of November 2023 However, for the subway services currently in use, the allotment will be suspended in November 2022. However, subway services currently in use will remain available until the original allotment deadline[11].
On January 31, 2023, the Korean government presented a bill to support the entry of new operators, consisting of lowering the threshold for market entry, supporting initial network construction, and supporting service operation, etc. It is expected that the frequency allocation will be announced in Q2 2023 and new operators will be selected in Q4 [11].
Meanwhile, the government NW is being built with 5G and support is being provided for the development of high-speed networks through the $300 million Giga-Korea high-speed project [1].
India
In India, a spectrum auction was held in July 2022, with 1 GHz wide (SA) to RJIO across India, 800 MHz wide (NSA) to Airtel across India, 400 MHz wide (SA/NSA (TBD)) to BSNL across India, 200-800 MHz wide to Vodafone ( NSA) in key markets, and n258 millimeter wave allocated in key markets where 400 MHz is operational to Adani Data Network (5G private network operator).
The government is obligated to conduct field demonstrations of FWA and mobility use cases in the first half of 2023, and to launch commercial services within one year, followed by deployment obligations related to coverage at three and five years [1].
Australia
Five companies won spectrum in the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) auction for the 26 GHz band: Telstra Corporation Limited for 1 GHz width in most regions and Optus Mobile Pty Ltd for 800 MHz width in most regions, Mobile JV Pty Limited (a JV between Vodafone Hutchison Australia and TPG Telecom) for 600 MHz in most areas, Dense Air Australia Pty Ltd (the neutral host operator of the 5G test bed) for 200 MHz, and Pentanet Limited (local ISP in Perth) won the bid for 400 MHz in two areas.
The licenses awarded at the auction will go into effect later this year and will be valid for 15 years, until 2036 [1].
In Australia, the $28.6 million 5G Innovation Initiative program funds use case development and demonstrations of the value created by 5G [1].
Southeast Asia
In Southeast Asia, eight operators from five countries/regions will launch millimeter wave (Thailand), CMHK and HKT (Hong Kong), and Viettel (Vietnam).
Including these eight operators, 16 operators from five countries/regions have also acquired millimeter wave spectrum.
Singapore has a $22.5 million grant program to develop new 5G solutions and $50 million in development assistance for cutting-edge telecommunications and other technologies.
In Taiwan, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) is planning to launch a smart factory business using 5GmmWave NR-DC SA [1].
References
- Qualcomm Japan, 5G Business Design WG 2nd Meeting, Qualcomm documents.
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000860192.pdf - Ericsson Japan, 5G Business Design WG 2nd Meeting, Ericsson Document.
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000860162.pdf - GSMA, 5G mmWave Circa 2023- State of the Market and Look back at our Accomplishments (MWC2023 GSMA document).
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "5G Business Design Working Group" Operation Policy.
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000857639.pdf - Bell Labs Consulting, The business of 5G mmWave.
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Publication of 5G development status (as of the end of FY2021)
https://www.soumu.go.jp/menu_news/s-news/01kiban14_02000561.html - Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 5G Business Design Working Group (3rd Meeting) Handout.
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000860636.pdf - Ofcom, Enabling mmWave spectrum for new uses.
- European 5G Observatory, "The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has granted the license to a domestic aero plane The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has granted the license to a domestic aero plane.
https://5gobservatory.eu/china-grants-first-5g-private-network-licence/ - China Association of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), Setting Sail on a New Journey with 5G Commercialization (MWC2023 CAICT document).
- Samsung Networks, 5G Business Design WG 2nd Meeting Samsung Materials.
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000860119.pdf - Ministry of Science, Information and Communication (MSIT) of Korea.
https://www.msit.go.kr/bbs/view.do?bbsSeqNo=94&nttSeqNo=3182564 - Ministry of Science, Information and Communication (MSIT) of Korea.
https://www.msit.go.kr/bbs/view.do?bbsSeqNo=94&nttSeqNo=3183048
The content of this article has been excerpted and edited based on the 5GMF White Paper "Advanced 5G with Millimeter Wave Penetration, Version 1.0" published by 5GMF on March 31, 2023. The white paper was updated to Version 2.0 on July 3, 2011. To view the full document, please click5GMF Web siteDownload from
