GSMA blog post: With the launch of 5G millimeter wave technology, mobile networks are ushering in new capabilities. Consumers and enterprise users are about to experience a quantum leap in mobile network quality in crowded indoor and outdoor environments. 5G networks will be able to operate in millimeter wave spectrum and sub-6GHz frequency bands, ensuring that users in stadiums, concert venues, transportation hubs and other high-traffic areas can get the bandwidth they need. This is one of the core views presented at MWC Shanghai 2023 5G Future Summit. Currently, more than 170 5G millimeter wave devices are on the market, including more than 50 smartphones. As the technology matures and equipment costs decrease, 5G millimeter wave is being deployed in major emerging markets. Among them, India has launched a commercialization project, and representatives of China's three major mobile operators - China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom also expressed their plans to use 5G millimeter wave technology to expand and enhance the capabilities of existing 5G networks at the summit. Wei Jinwu, deputy director of China Unicom Research Institute, said: I personally believe that millimeter wave is basically mature at present, and we need to dig deeper into necessary and sufficient application scenarios based on the three characteristics of high bandwidth, high speed, and high-precision positioning. He believes that 5G millimeter wave is an efficient technology that can be used for high-definition video live broadcast at large exhibitions and conferences. It is also very suitable for manufacturing application scenarios that require reliable transmission of massive data, as well as providing immersive experiences for consumers. Hu Nan, deputy director of the Wireless and Terminal Technology Research Institute of China Mobile Research Institute, also said that as the cost of 5G millimeter wave equipment decreases, new application scenarios will emerge in endlessly. Wang Qingyang, director of the Mobile and Terminal Technology Research Institute of the China Telecommunications Research Institute, emphasized the flexibility of 5G millimeter wave networks, noting that the technology can be configured on demand to provide extremely fast uplink rates. He said: According to tests conducted by Chinese mobile operators in the Shanghai subway, the average data transmission rate provided by the 5G millimeter wave network between the train carriage and the nearby base station can reach 1.2 Gbps. Spectrum allocation has ushered in a huge leap. As the scale of 5G millimeter wave technology deployment expands, economies of scale are gradually emerging. Data from the GSMA Mobile Think Tank shows that as of the end of March 2023, 22 mobile operators in 12 countries around the world have launched 5G millimeter wave services. Pau Castells, head of economic analysis at the GSMA think tank, said: Spectrum allocation is expected to change significantly this year, with an additional 15 countries expected to allocate 5G millimeter wave spectrum. This is a huge leap compared to the current situation. GSMA Think Tank analysis shows that deploying 5G millimeter wave in China's densely populated cities will be cost-effective once spectrum becomes available. The European region is expected to reach similar levels in 2024. Castells pointed out: 5G millimeter wave will become increasingly important in the global 5G evolution. We estimate that by 2030, 5G will contribute about 1% to global GDP, and millimeter wave will contribute at least a quarter of it. (As shown in the figure below) Source: GSMA Mobile Think Tank Philippe Poggianti, vice president of business development at Qualcomm Communications, said: 5G can be called a superhero, and we can use 5G millimeter wave to add more superpowers to it. More than 65 suppliers are currently investing in the research and development of 5G millimeter wave equipment, highlighting people's confidence in millimeter wave technology. The development of 5G millimeter wave networks in China and India will belong to the third wave of global deployment, using the same 26 GHz frequency band as Europe and Australia. Poggianti pointed out that the continued expansion of deployment areas will help 26 GHz equipment manufacturers achieve economies of scale and reduce prices. According to a consumer survey conducted by Qualcomm and GSMA, three of the five major pain points in network connections are caused by dense crowds. Several respondents expressed willingness to pay a small fee to avoid network congestion. Poggianti added: At conference sites like today, because many people are using the network at the same time, the Wi-Fi signal is usually poor. The use of 5G millimeter wave technology can solve the problem of network connection congestion in indoor venues, transportation hubs, and stadiums. Providing fiber-like performance Yan Feng, vice president of Huawei Wireless Network 5G Product Line, said: Another key application scenario of 5G millimeter wave is to provide cost-effective broadband services to buildings that are not covered by fiber optic networks. Even at distances up to 5 kilometers, 5G millimeter wave can theoretically achieve downlink rates of up to 4 Gbps. Although the average data transmission rate experienced by individual users is much lower than this theoretical rate, the performance of about 330 Mbps is comparable to fiber optics (as shown in the figure below). Source: Huawei Yan Feng also emphasized the ability of 5G millimeter wave networks to support ultra-high uplink rates and provide centimeter-level precise positioning. In addition, with the development of technology, 5G millimeter wave is also continuing to evolve. Hu Wei, deputy general manager of ZTE RAN MKT, said at the summit: 5G millimeter wave technology is currently in the third stage of development (as shown in the figure below). It is equipped with more antenna arrays and channels to support emerging services, such as 'low-altitude sensing' technology for drones and cars. Source: ZTE Hu Wei said: ZTE is in in-depth communication with a number of drone companies, because 5G millimeter wave can provide very accurate detection services, which is extremely helpful for their equipment 5G 100 1 At the same time, 5G millimeter wave networks can increasingly make use of independent 5G core networks, and these networks can support network slicing to support specific applications. Hu Wei concluded that 5G millimeter wave is a step in the evolution to 6G, and future 6G networks may use terahertz frequencies. As 5G makes progress in many aspects, this technology has great potential in helping mobile operators increase average revenue per user (ARPU)