5G-Advanced: the near-term remedy to 6G hype

With GSMA Intelligence research indicating that 10% of mobile operators had a 6G R&D programme in place as of mid-2021, it’s clear that 6G is more than just hype. But most operators (87%) also expect 6G R&D to be used to improve 5G prior to 6G launches.

If operators are planning for 6G to make a commercial appearance sometime around 2030 but recognise that 5G improvements will be realised before then, it stands to reason that a mid-point advancement is coming. With an expected arrival in 2025, that advancement is 5G-Advanced, the 3GPP’s branding for 5G technologies to be delivered by 3GPP Release 18 specifications and beyond. What 5G-Advanced will deliver will reflect operator expectations of network demands in the medium term, as well as the mobile network innovations and messaging we can expect to hear about over the next few years.