5G Standardization Update

Release 15: "5G-Lite" or "Katrina 2.0"?

10/17/2016 | 19 pages
Price: $850.00

We recently attended the RAN #73 Plenary, held in New Orleans. As part of our series of reports on the 5G standardization process, we provide an update on the recent activities pertaining to both the new air interface as well as the more “mundane” activities that relate to LTE-Advanced Pro.

Highlights of the Report include the following:

The NR Schedule – a Little Bit Faster Now?  We discuss why we believe a major operator and others are trying to accelerate certain aspects of NR while another major operator and others are trying equally hard to keep the schedule unchanged.

NR Functionality and the Art of Prioritization.  Not everything can happen at once so we discuss the likely features which could be excluded from Release 15, as well as the implications.

75 <> 15 * 2^N.  The equation is basic math, but we discuss what it means in the context of initial 5G / NR deployments.

What’s in a Name?  Although there are not any technical implications, the term NR may go the way of the dinosaur. Get ready for a new bucket list of acronyms.

Out with the Old, In with the New.  We examine many of the proposed and/or approved work items and study items which impact 5G and/or LTE.

When Cometh Standalone NR in Unlicensed Spectrum?  While many operators and vendors want to make greater use of unlicensed spectrum, there is equal opposition from a host of others. We discuss the ramifications for both 5G / NR and LTE.

The IEEE and 3GPP Tag Team for 5G.  3GPP isn’t the only game in town when it comes to proposing a new 5G standard. We discuss how IEEE could play a more involved role in the process.