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5G NR-NTN Demos make a Debut at MWC 2023

We have been talking about 5G NR Non-Terrestrial Networks (NR-NTN) for years but only now we are starting to see some demos, prototypes and real-world devices. At MWC 2023, satellite connectivity stole the show to some extent. Many NTN sceptics were able to see real-world demos for the first time. MediaTek demoed their NTN solution that brings two-way satellite communications to smartphones. Their press release said: The first smartphones with MediaTek’s satellite connectivity are also launching, with more devices to be unveiled in the coming months. Additionally, MediaTek will also be sharing a sneak peek of its next-generation 5G New Radio NTN (NR-NTN) technology for the next wave of satellite-enabled devices. Satellite networks aim to fill gaps in mobile coverage, offering a reliable way for devices to communicate in remote locations. With satellite-enabled smartphones, consumers can stay in touch when they are hiking, driving in secluded areas, on a boat, or in other situations w

Next Generation Multiple Access – New Challenges & New Opportunities

Back in November 2022, Peiying Zhu, Senior Vice President of Wireless Research at Huawei presented a talk at IEEE Comsoc ' Next Generation Multiple Access Emerging Technology Initiative ' discussing the potential new challenges, requirements, and opportunities for the next generation of multiple access in these new scenarios. As a Huawei Fellow, IEEE Fellow and Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering who is also currently leading 6G wireless research and standardization in Huawei, she is very well placed to talk about this. The overview of the talk is as follows: The discussion in this talk includes the potential new challenges, requirements, and opportunities for the next generation of multiple access in these new scenarios. The next generation of wireless communication networks requires continuous evolutions of multiple access (MA) techniques due to the demand for ubiquitous connections of everything besides humans. In the 5G system, many potential MA techniques have been

NTT Docomo's Disaster Countermeasures to Keep People Connected

Recently I blogged about Disaster Roaming in 3GPP Release-17. While this will take time to be implemented worldwide, it is already available in Japan, maybe not in the 3GPP standardised way. Similarly, back in 2011, I blogged about Earthquake and Tsunami Warning service (ETWS) from NTT Docomo's Journal, it was two days before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami hit. Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural disasters, which can have a devastating effect on infrastructure. To ensure that the mobile networks keep functioning, operators work extremely hard to ensure people remain connected one way or another. NTT Docomo has released a video detailing the countermeasures to keep everyone connected in case of emergencies. The following detail is provided with the video: DOCOMO's network is no exception, and our services could get cut off by a base station power outage, disconnected fiber-optic cable, or other malfunctions. DOCOMO established the three pr

Direct-to-Mobile Communications Using LEO Satellites gets a Step Closer

In Nov 2022, Rakuten Mobile announced that it has obtained preliminary experimental test station licenses to conduct mobile communication tests and preliminary verification in Japan using AST SpaceMobile’s low earth orbit satellite, BlueWalker 3. We blogged about AST & Science's ambition to have SpaceMobile beam 4G/5G directly to devices here and here . Back in Nov. AST SpaceMobile announced that it had successfully completed deployment of the communications array for its test satellite, BlueWalker 3 (“BW3”), in orbit. I found the Tweet showing the unfolding very interesting. History is unfolding! We've deployed #BlueWalker3 's 693-square-foot array, which is now the largest-ever commercial communications array in low Earth orbit. Read more about this important milestone here: https://t.co/4kupfxn3vO pic.twitter.com/KnE9CeWOCT — AST SpaceMobile (@AST_SpaceMobile) November 14, 2022 Coming back to Rakuten Mobile's announcement, the press release said: In order to

Shared Neutral Host RAN Solution in India to Unlock 5x QoE Improvement

At Telecom Infra Project's Fyuz 22 conference, one of the main stage panel session talked about New Business Models, Neutral-Host NaaS and the Rule of Threes. During that session, Kunal Bajaj, CEO & Co-Founder of CloudExtel spoke on how India can tackle this challenge and unlock 5X Quality of Experience improvement for users, through Shared RAN solutions. CloudExtel successfully deployed its first solution at Mumbai Central railway station , one of the country's largest railway stations, addressing this issue. The video of the panel session below has been adjusted to start exactly at Kunal's talk. There is an Q&A session followed by the talk. If you would rather hear all the talk in the panel sessions, rewind to 33:10. A lot of neutral host solutions are being deployed in different parts of the world. If properly planned, they can help service providers deliver a much better experience for the end users. Related Posts : Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Details on Ind

'Matter' and 'Thread' to Improve Smart Home Connectivity & Interoperability

After years of wondering if smart devices and gadgets in home made by multiple vendors would be able to talk to each other, there is a hope. Two new protocols, Matter and Thread, are enabling devices to quickly talk to each other. The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) is responsible for Matter and describes it as: Matter is the foundation for connected things. This industry–unifying standard is a promise of reliable, secure connectivity—a seal of approval that devices will work seamlessly together, today and tomorrow. Matter is creating more connections between more objects, simplifying development for manufacturers and increasing compatibility for consumers. The Thread Group explains Thread as follows: Thread is a low-power and low-latency wireless mesh networking protocol built using open and proven standards. Thread solves the complexities of the IoT, addressing challenges such as interoperability, range, security, energy, and reliability. Thread networks have no single point

Would NR-Light (RedCap) succeed LTE Cat-1bis and Cat-4 for Internet of Things Devices?

LTE UE Categories were a popular topic once upon a time. I have various blog posts on the topic, the earliest one being in 2009 , then in 2011 and 2015 . Most of the smartphones started with Category 3 (Cat-3), going on to Cat-6, Cat-9, etc. Cat-2 was never used as far as I know. Cat-1 and Cat-4 gained popularity in various IoT applications. The picture above from this press release , nicely summarises the evolution of various 3GPP technologies, including IoT. As you will notice, an updated version of LTE Cat-1 known as Cat-1bis was in 3GPP Release-13. You will also notice that LTE Cat-0 was introduced in Release-12 that evolved into eMTC or LTE-M (Cat-M1). A blog on Ericsson has a nice summary here . In Release-13, LTE Cat-1bis was introduced. This article explains what Cat-1bis is and how's it different from Cat-1: LTE Cat 1, sometimes also refers as 4G Cat 1, is specifically designed for more feature-rich Machine-to-Machine (M2M) IoT applications. The technology was initially

Microwave Backhaul Connects American Samoa

Earlier this year, Ericsson published an interesting case study about American Samoa. Quoting from the report: American Samoa Telecommunications Authority, ASTCA, supplies telecommunication services to the residents of the American Samoan islands, a territory of the United States, which are found in a remote area of the Pacific Ocean. The primary backhaul system between the islands consists of fiber-optic cables and satellite connections. Over Independence Day weekend 2021, the undersea fiber-optic cable linking the Tutuila and Manu’a Islands failed, completely stranding the Manu’a Islands from all telecommunication services. ASTCA selected Ericsson in 2019 to provide a high-capacity wireless backup system to the existing fiber-optic network between the islands. One of the planned microwave links was to connect the island Tutuila to the Manu’a Islands with a challenging distance of 84.23 miles (135.55 km). To put this into perspective, it’s the same distance as between New York City a