BEIJING, Apr. 9 (Xinhua) -- The first global 5G standard is expected to be released in June this year, the Xinhua-run China Securities Journal reported on April 2 citing multiple sources.
Insiders believed that the upcoming global 5G standard is a huge boost for the development of China’s 5G industry and information industry alike, and meanwhile the fight over seizing the market share of global 5G industry will well and truly begin.
-- First global 5G standard coming soon
It is widely believed that once 5G network has been officially put into commercial operation, it will not only push the communication industry into the next phase of development, but also spur the development of several trillion-scale emerging industries.
A number of market institutions predicted that Internet of Things (IoT) segments such as Internet of Vehicles (IoV), big data, cloud computing, smart home, and unmanned aerial vehicle are already well-developed with respect to technology and application, but the existing 4G network greatly slows down their development.
Along with the commercial operation of 5G services, network problems will be readily solved, and these segments will see rapid growth in the future, according to the prediction.
It should be noted that the planned 5G standard will be unified globally, instead of several versions of technologies.
In the age of 2G, 3G, and 4G, there were many versions of technical standards, said Huang Yuhong, deputy general manager of China Mobile Research Institute, adding that a single, unified 5G standard will be formed based on the current trend, which meant if China’s relevant standards can make up a bigger proportion in the 5G standard, Chinese enterprises will be more competitive and grab more shares in the 5G market across the world.
The release of the first global 5G standard will benefit the development of China’s 5G industry and information industry, said Wang Zhiqin, vice president of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
--Many countries race to develop 5G networks
Countries across the globe have been competing in 5G for a long time. In November 2012, the European Union (EU) started a 27 million euros project to develop 5G technology. Soon afterwards, the European Commission launched the 5G Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership (5GPPP) and claimed to invest 700 million euros in seven years for 5G technology. The research program aimed to maintain EU’s leadership in the mobile communication sector.
Led by the Public of Korea (ROK)’s Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP), the 5G Forum was found in June 2013, and it announced the Creative 5G Mobile Strategy in 2014. The strategy aimed to help ROK occupy 20 percent of the global mobile communication equipment market and stay most competitive in global standards and patents by 2020.
Japan established "2020 and Beyond Ad Hoc" project in September 2013 to support 5Gs development in the next decade and apply 5G technology to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
China also rolled up its sleeves to push ahead with the research and development of 5G technology. In February 2013, IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group was jointly established by three ministries then in China, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology, to carry out the research and the layout of 5G relevant problems, involving 5G vision and demand, 5G spectrum frequency, key 5G technologies, and 5G standardization. In the meantime, Chinese operators, including China Mobile and China Telecom, and mobile device vendors, containing Huawei and ZTE, have dedicated themselves to the development of 5G network for years. With a sophisticated arsenal of 5G technologies, they enjoy obvious strengths especially in such key areas as network construction and communication devices.
As an early starter in 5G research and development, China has developed extensive industrial cooperation, and runs neck and neck with foreign companies in many areas. In fact, it has significant advantages even in key technologies. The assessment by international organizations also testified that China is capable of dominating the 5G standards formulation.
-- Network deployment and commercialization degree decisive
Insiders widely believed that network deployment and degree of commercialization are the key for the 5G industry to secure its initiative.
According to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology and Qualcomm, a 5G international standard will sweep away all the obstacles for the construction of global 5G network.
China is pushing ahead with commercial 5G technologies, and has moved into a third phase in relevant development and experiment, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three major carriers.
It is estimated that major links of 5G industrial chain will largely reach pre-commercial stage by the end of 2018, and China also planed to start 5G network construction in 2019 and put 5G network into commercial operation in 2020.
Starting from the second half of last year, China has launched 5G pilot programs in many areas, including Xiong'an New Area, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chengdu, Lanzhou, etc. At present, China is pushing forward with commercial 5G technologies and has moved into a third phase in relevant development and experiment.
Upon the pilot program, China's three major carriers will not only conduct different-sized technical tests, network authentication, and station construction, but also start application tests of the IoV and IoT , including automatic vehicles, smart city as well as smart home, based on 5G network.
It is of great significance to start the verification process of relevant applications while testing 5G technologies, noted Huang, adding that in this way, top players at home and abroad will be brought together to create a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for next generation of information technologies.
When being commercialized, 5G technologies will underpin the development of such industries as the IoV, IoT, industrial Internet, cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence, and further boost rapid growth of the entire industry, said Huang. (Edited by Yang Yifan, yangyifan@xinhua.org)
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