5G-A is expected to open up trillions of yuan market space, and a number of ZTE's latest achievements in 5G-A have been unveiled
5G-A leads technological innovation and opens a new milestone in development
The arrival of 5G technology not only marks another major breakthrough in communication technology, but also becomes a key engine for high-quality economic and social development. In just five years, 5G has contributed nearly 20 trillion yuan to China's total output, becoming the core driving force for digital transformation. However, there are still some limitations in the current 5G technology, which cannot fully meet the diverse application needs of various industries. How to further tap the development potential of 5G technology and expand broader application prospects has become a hot topic of concern in the industry.
In 2024, a new technological revolution with "5G-A" as the protagonist will quietly rise. 5G-A is a key transition stage from 5G technology to 6G, and through further optimization and innovation, performance can be improved in an all-round way and more unprecedented application scenarios can be developed. From space-to-earth connectivity, real-time immersive experiences, to intelligent connectivity of all things, 5G-A is gearing up to pave the way for future development. According to forecasts, 5G and 5G-A technologies will create $1 trillion in industrial value by 2030, which will undoubtedly inject strong momentum into the global economy.
At MWC Shanghai 2024, 5G-A has once again become the focus of the industry's attention. As a global ICT leader, ZTE is a practitioner and promoter of 5G-A technology innovation. ZTE has been deeply involved in 5G-A technology for many years, and has continuously made new breakthroughs in six scenarios, including "seamless 10 Gigabit", "100 billion IoT", "deterministic capability", "global synaesthesia", "air-space-ground integration" and "ubiquitous intelligence", providing strong support for the application of 5G-A in various fields.
Seamless 10 Gigabit: Make immersive applications do anything
In ZTE's view, one of the biggest features of 5G-A is "seamless 10 Gigabit". The so-called "seamless 10 Gigabit network" refers to the breakthrough innovation of 5G-A technology, which can realize the "10 Gigabit network" in the true sense. This not only greatly improves the network transmission bandwidth and speed, but also paves the way for future large-space immersive applications such as AR/XR and cutting-edge applications such as ultra-high-definition video.
Taking ZTE's application in Beijing Shougang SoReal Science Fiction Park as an example, with the support of 5G-A technology, dozens of users can enjoy the virtual world online at the same time and enjoy an immersive battle experience in a large space of nearly 1,000 square meters without wearing any headsets or backpacks. At the same time, ZTE also cooperated with CCTV to use the "5G-A ultra-high-definition shallow compression wireless mobile live broadcast" solution to realize a new paradigm of wired and wireless mixed production and broadcasting, so that the audience can watch the clear and smooth "vertical screen to watch the Spring Festival Gala" live broadcast without leaving home. The successful practice of these applications fully demonstrates the strong potential of 5G-A in large-space immersive experience and ultra-high-definition video transmission.
Identify capabilities: Empower the digital transformation of industries
In addition to improving the user terminal experience, the application of 5G-A technology in the industrial field has also attracted much attention. ZTE's achievements in "determining capabilities" have injected new momentum into the digital upgrading of the industry.
By creating a series of innovative products such as "5G Computing Network All-in-One Machine", "5G Industry Comprehensive Tester" and "5G TSN Industrial Gateway", ZTE has achieved the deep integration of computing power, cloud platform and industry applications. This can not only support various industries to realize the transformation and upgrading of production processes in specific scenarios, but also provide customers with a full set of production line design and upgrading services, and greatly improve the level of intelligent manufacturing in the industry.
Taking the equipment manufacturing industry as an example, ZTE and Guangzhou MINO have achieved 24×7 hours of stable service operation in the automotive welding production line through 5G-A technologies such as URLLC and FRER dual-transmitter selective receiving, and at the same time completed the bearing from PLC to secure IO/remote IO, greatly reducing cable laying, improving the flexibility of the production line, and reducing network equipment by 60%. This innovative practice not only improves industrial production efficiency, but also opens up a new path for 5G networks to enter the core control link of the industry, injecting new impetus into the digital transformation of the industry.
The integration of space, space and ground: subverting the imagination space of communication
In the field of "air-space-ground integration", 5G-A technology has also caused a sensation in the industry. The 5G NTN (non-terrestrial network) technology developed by ZTE can enable smartphones and IoT terminals to be directly connected to satellites, opening the era of "consumer-grade" satellite communications. Whether in remote mountainous areas, vast oceans or vast deserts, users can enjoy SMS, voice and data services, greatly expanding network coverage and meeting the communication needs of industries and individuals in special environments.
At the same time, ZTE's 5G-A synaesthesia integration technology uses the same set of equipment and networks to achieve seamless connection between communication and sensing services. This has laid a solid foundation for the modernization and intellectualization of low-altitude flight activities and related economic activities, and created a new engine for the development of low-altitude economy.
It can be seen that 5G-A technology is subverting people's traditional perception of communication, making the three dimensions of space, earth and air, which were originally unconnected, fully interconnected, and opening a new era of communication. This innovation not only improves network coverage and application capabilities, but also empowers various industries and injects new imagination into future development.
New ecological construction: promote the high-quality development of the industry
With the continuous breakthrough of 5G-A technology and the continuous enrichment of application scenarios, the construction and improvement of related industry chains are also accelerating. On the one hand, policy support has injected strong impetus into the development of 5G-A. In June this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the Action Initiative for Leading 5G-A Technology and Industry Development, proposing to accelerate the innovation of 5G-A key technologies and create typical application scenarios to inject strong impetus into the development of the 5G-A industry. On the other hand, industry giants such as ZTE are also continuing to invest in innovation and inject a steady stream of technical support into the wide application of 5G-A.
It is foreseeable that under the dual promotion of favorable policies and enterprise innovation, 5G-A will usher in a broader space for development. It is estimated that by 2030, 5G and 5G-A technologies will create $1 trillion in industrial value and benefit all industries
5G-A leads technological innovation and opens a new milestone in development
As we can see, with policy support and the joint promotion of industry giants, 5G-A is developing rapidly and is widely used. In the future, this emerging technology is set to have a profound impact on various industries.
First, 5G-A will significantly improve the digitalization of various industries. With its excellent "deterministic ability", 5G-A can provide reliable guarantee for key production processes in industrial manufacturing, energy, transportation and other fields, and achieve precise control and efficient coordination of process flows, thereby greatly improving production efficiency and product quality. At the same time, 5G-A's "space, ground and air integration" technology will also expand the communication and perception capabilities of the industry in special environments, and empower the digital transformation of the industry.
Second, 5G-A will bring new changes to people's life experience. With the "seamless 10 Gigabit" feature, 5G-A can provide a smoother and more realistic user experience for immersive AR/VR applications, and promote the development of the pan-entertainment industry. At the same time, 5G-A technology, which integrates "synaesthesia integration", will also bring new application scenarios to low-altitude flight, smart cities and other fields, making life more intelligent and efficient.
Third, 5G-A will inject new impetus into industry innovation. As a key transition to 6G, 5G-A not only integrates the core advantages of 5G, but also opens up new application spaces through technological innovation and cross-border integration. This not only contributes new ideas to the digital transformation of traditional industries, but also provides valuable support for the cultivation and growth of emerging industries. It is foreseeable that with the continuous promotion of 5G-A, more exciting industry innovations will be born in the future.
Overall, 5G-A is becoming a key driver for high-quality economic and social development. From industrial manufacturing to daily life, from traditional industries to emerging fields, 5G-A will give full play to its unique advantages, inject new vitality into the industry, and create more possibilities for life. Let's look forward to a wonderful future for this cutting-edge technology in the future!