Page 100 - SAMENA Trends - Jan-Mar 2024

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

5G Momentum Continues with 1.6 billion Connections Worldwide, Rising to

5.5 billion by 2030, According to GSMA Intelligence

Industry opportunities driven by developments in 5G Standalone, segment now counts 10.7 billion IoT connections (versus 10.5
5G-Advanced, enterprise IoT and AI, GSMA Open Gateway and billion consumer connections) and this momentum is expected
new revenue realization through the BCE standard. New figures to continue, with enterprise connections more than doubling to
from GSMA Intelligence (GSMAi) show 5G connections are 38.5 billion by 2030 and smart buildings and smart manufacturing
expected to represent over half (51%) of mobile connections by accounting for 34% and 16% of total enterprise connections
2029, rising to 56% by the end of the decade – making 5G the respectively. Beyond 5G SA, the availability of 5G-Advanced with
dominant connectivity technology. 5G has been the fastest mobile 3GPP Release 18 will be another key 5G milestone in IoT delivery,
generation rollout to date, surpassing one billion connections by providing the catalyst for new 5G investment throughout 2024
the end of 2022, rising to 1.6 billion connections at the end of and into 2025. GSMAi data shows over half of operators expect
2023 and 5.5 billion by 2030. As of January 2024, 261 operators to begin deploying 5G-Advanced within a year after commercial
in 101 countries had launched commercial 5G services, and more availability of 5G-Advanced solutions, driven by priority use cases
than 90 operators from 64 markets have committed to rollouts. Of such as 5G multicast services and low-cost IoT support. GSMAi
the 261 commercial 5G services available, 47 are provided by 5G predicts a fourfold rise in mobile data traffic between now and 2030
Standalone (SA) networks, with a further 89 planned deployments with expansions in 5G coverage and capacity playing a prominent
near-term that will take advantage of network slicing, ultra-reliable role, showcasing the importance of continued infrastructure
low-latency communications support and the simplified 5G SA investments. It is predicted that monthly global mobile data traffic
network architecture. The growth of available 5G SA networks, and per connection will grow from 12.8 GB in 2023 to 47.9 GB in 2030.
improved support for private & dedicated networks, will support a The increasing use of Generative AI (GenAI) – 56% of operators are
massive number of connected devices and help to realise the global currently testing applications – will also likely fuel this growth. This
IoT vision for the enterprise. GSMAi data shows the enterprise will be driven by applications including the use of GenAI-enabled
chatbots for customer service efforts or the continued growth
of AI-generated video and music content. Peter Jarich, Head of
GSMAi, said: “The early success of 5G was driven by enhanced
mobile broadband (EMBB) and EMBB-related network traffic
requirements. Yet, while consumer requirements will continue their
trajectory, we’re now seeing use cases beyond that. Opportunities
are now appearing in areas including API monetisation and 5G
RedCap for enterprise IoT – all supported by 5G-Advanced and 5G
SA networks. 5G SA brings home 5G’s early promise, particularly
where slicing, low-latency and massive IoT capabilities tied to
enterprise service needs can be met. 5G-Advanced will only extend
that further.”

Singtel Claims World-First with App Slicing Tech

Singtel teamed with Ericsson and Samsung to unveil what it claimed
is the world’s first live implementation of app-based network slic-
ing, designed for services requiring higher data performance. The
Singapore-based operator stated app owners would be able to
activate a dedicated, customized slice of its 5G network to boost
the performance of their wares and improve user experience. Sing-
tel claimed the offering is unique from other slicing technologies,
which are only able to provide a differentiated network experience devices. Singtel stated the technology enables a host of use cases
to subscribers’ lines and not selected apps. The implementation and can be beneficial for apps catering to workplace productivity,
uses a network slicing technology known as User Equipment enterprise communications, and gaming and media streaming, in
Route Selection Policy (URSP) with Application Detection Control addition to AI, and augmented and extended reality. Tay Yeow Lian,
and was tested on the operator’s entertainment application CAST MD of networks at Singtel Singapore, said data consumption and
during the live streaming of the recent Australian Open tennis tour- processing will soar due to 4K video and AI, meaning demands
nament. USRP runs on Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G core and chan- on operator networks will increase and so strain app performance.
nels data traffic through a dedicated optimal path between smart “We’re proud to be the first in the world to deploy this slicing tech-
devices and Singtel’s network. Samsung configured USRP for its nology on our 5G network to deliver the best app performance even
Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone and plans to extend rollout to other when there is high network congestion,” he added.
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