5G News and Trends – May 2022

Posted by | Fuld & Company

For the latest and most important 5G news and developments from March and April 2022 please see below for all the key stories.

For a PDF version of this news please download here.

National Governments’ Announcements for 5G

A summary of the key announcements by national governments in relation to 5G is as follows.

Telcos’ Future 5G Initiatives

Some of the future initiatives by the leading telecommunication companies are as follows:

13 April 2022: Information Technology

The Linux Foundation introduced a new open source project with Google Cloud to automate 5G

• The Linux Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium, announced the establishment of project Nephio in partnership with Google Cloud and other leaders across the telecom industry
• The new project brings Cloud, Telecom and Network functions providers together in a Kubernetes world to enable and simplify cloud-native automation of 5G telecom network functions
• Nephio, launched with support from more than a dozen players, including operators like Airtel, Bell Canada, Orange, Rakuten Mobile, etc., takes Kubernetes’ cloud-native orchestration proficiency to allow telecom operators to roll out and run new services in their 5G and edge deployments

13 April 2022: Mass Media, Telecommunications

Virgin Media O2 heads field trials for 4G and 5G sites in the UK with the help of Samsung Electronics

• Moving along the next phase of collaboration, Samsung Electronics, and Virgin Media O2 have concluded the successful rollout of various live 4G and 5G sites in the UK
• What are known to be Virgin Media O2’s first 5G test sites with Samsung, they demonstrate interworking between Virgin Media O2’s 2G/3G/4G networks and Samsung’s latest 4G and 5G solutions
• Under the collab, Samsung provided a variety of network solutions for the tests, including its 4G radios, 4G/5G baseband units, and 5G Massive MIMO radios, making headway in helping operators around the globe adopt 5G services

11 April 2022: Power

With the support of Optus, AWS, and Unleash live, Endeavour Energy has deployed the first set of 5G and AI-enabled drones to get rid of manual identification and remediation of power grids in Sydney

• Endeavour Energy, operator of the electrical distribution network, together with telecom and tech participants Optus, Amazon Web Services, and Unleash Life, has set up its first 5G and AI-enabled drones for electricity grid repair in Sydney, Australia
• The use of drones could replace the need for the Company to use fleets of vehicles, helicopters, and technicians to manually identify and undergo restoration tasks
• Drones are also expected to enable and improve restoration times for unplanned electricity outages, particularly during natural disasters such as storms, floods, and bushfires

06 April 2022: Defense

AT&T has collaborated with Northrop Grumman to facilitate US DoD with IoT and 5G power

• AT&T, the world’s largest telecom company, and Northrop Grumman, an American aerospace and defense technology company have planned to collaboratively deliver an open-architecture solution to the US Department of Defense (DoD) to power IoT and 5G capabilities
• The new solution is part of the DoD’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) Implementation Plan set up to help it interconnect distributed sensors, shooters and data from all domains, terrains and forces
• Northrop Grumman expects to be prototyping technology with AT&T within a year to offer DoD high speed, low latency connectivity across multiple terrains and domains to connect warfighters to systems, data and shooters

26 march 2022: Sports

Malaysia’s MoF 2022 E-Sports Carnival becomes the first-in-country e-sports contest to deploy 5G connectivity

• To support the use of 5G technology, Malaysia’s Finance Ministry’s (MoF) 2022 E-Sports Carnival with ~300 participants has become the first e-sports competition in the country to adopt 5G technology
• The step has been taken to help the country grow in the field of the digital economy, while by 2024 the penetration rate of 5G in the country is expected to reach 80% of populated areas
• The competition is part of strategic integration between MoF and agencies of government-linked companies, as well as players from the private sector, and has participants from the Welfare and Sports Council of Members of the Ministry of Finance (MKSAKK)

24 March 2022: Marine

Vodafone and Nokia collaborate to install the world’s first marine testbed in Plymouth Sound, the deep inlet in the English Channel in the city of Plymouth, England

• In a new 5G initiative, Vodafone and Nokia have come together to set up private LTE and 5G networks to support the world’s first marine-tech 5G testbed in the UK port city of Plymouth
• The testbed is built as the first marine park in the UK to be used to connect various IoT sensors, marine vessels, and research equipment to enhance advancement in the marine sectors
• The newly deployed network will be freely accessible to businesses, academics, and government agencies to use for R&D on and under the waters of Plymouth Sound along the Devon Coast

21 march 2022: Information Technology, Smart Manufacturing

NEXCOM and Telco Systems have launched a commercial ready-to-use 5G/IoT network solution for SMEs

• NEXCOM, a supplier of network appliances, and Telco Systems, a telecom equipment manufacturer, have entered into a partnership to launch a commercial-ready solution based on NEXCOM’s DTA 1164W, a 5G-ready desktop uCPE, for SOHOs and mid-range businesses looking to run virtual workloads at the network edge
• The uCPE supports Wi-Fi 5/6, 4G LTE, and high-speed reliable 5G connectivity using the Thales Cinterion® MV31-W IoT modem card
• With complete backing of 5G/IoT connectivity, the solution comes in ready-to-use format to support a wide range of cloud-native deployment

17 March 2022: Automotive

T-Mobile offers postpaid plans for select BMW vehicles, 2022 model and beyond, with unlimited voice, 5G, and Wi-Fi hotspot data

• T-Mobile introduced a postpaid plan with unlimited voice, 5G, and Wi-Fi hotspot for select 2022 BMW vehicles, whereas many as 10 devices can be connected at the same time, with unlimited 5G hotspot data
• Company’s postpaid plan named Magenta Drive for BMW costs $20 per month with autopay, plus taxes and fees, supported on the 2022 and newer BMW iX and x4 models
• Accessible through the My BMW app, BMW vehicles support 5G connectivity for both T-Mobile’s lower band n71 (600 MHz) “Extended Range 5G” and mid-band n41 (2.5 GHz) “Ultra Capacity” 5G

For a PDF version of this news please download here.