Page 117 - SAMENA Trends - September 2019

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

5G Rolling Out Faster Than 4G, Europe Focuses on eMBB

The 5G market is developing much more of 5G began just weeks after the standard Europe and Asia, there are operators that
quickly than the previous generation 4G LTE was completed, setting the stage for the offer both FWA and eMBB services. A major
standard, with a total of 31 5G commercial rollout of the technology in locations factor driving the acceleration in the pace
service launches globally by the end of across the globe in less than a year. We of launches is the maturity and experience
the second quarter of 2019, new analysis expect the number of 5G deployments to of wireless operators, according to IHS
from IHS Markit reveals. The report grow exponentially, with possibly hundreds Markit. “During the transition from 3G to
finds that the deployment of 5G is now of deployments per quarter during the 4G, wireless operators learned valuable
“widespread”, with projects in 17 countries period from 2020 to 2021, the time when lessons that they are now applying to the
in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North we expect the peak of 5G deployment.” 5G rollout,” Aravantinos said. “In terms of
America. This level of deployment has The analysis finds that enhanced mobile knowhow, the operators are ready and able
been achieved just 10 months after the broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless to ramp up 5G services at a tremendous
first commercial 5G launches in August access (FWA) are the primary use cases rate. Currently, the only factors preventing
2018. Elias Aravantinos, Senior Research for 5G launches. The split between the operators from starting even more 5G
Analyst, Operator Strategy, at IHS Markit services varies dramatically by region. launches are money and the availability of
| Technology, commented, “Although the A total of 72 percent of 5G launches by phones and routers.” One inhibitor to 5G’s
4G/LTE standard was finalized in 2009, it European operators in the first half were growth could be a lack of 5G-compliant
wasn’t until 2012 that the pace of launches exclusively for eMBB services, compared devices, as well as delays with routers in
picked up, and not until the first quarter of to just 50 percent of the 5G launches in UK and Switzerland. The US ban on Huawei
2013 that the total number of launches the Middle East. Some operators, mainly in buying American parts and components
exceeded 100. “In contrast, deployments the Middle East, exclusively offer FWA. In could also have an impact.

Malaysia to Expand 5G Trials Nationwide

Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Minister
Gobind Singh Deo has announced that nationwide
demonstrations of 5G technology will begin next month,
further extending a series of trials that commenced in
Putrajaya and Cyberjaya in April 2019, and which were
subsequently extended to a total of five states. Local
news source The Star Online cites the minister as saying
at the GSMA Mobile 360 Digital Societies event in Kuala
Lumpur: ‘The initial 5G testbeds which were first launched
in April this year in the administrative capital of Putrajaya
and Malaysia’s global tech hub Cyberjaya, has now been
extended with nationwide 5G demonstration projects
due to commence in October.’ The ministry notes that,
alongside the two aforementioned trial locations, in July
2019 Gobind confirmed that the testbed areas had been
expanded to include Terengganu, Perak and Kedah.

DOCOMO to Switch on ‘Full-Fledged’ 5G Pre-Commercial Service

NTT DOCOMO will kick off 5G services Yoshizawa as saying that the cellco is devices’ compatible with the 5G network
on 20 September to coincide with the ‘marking Friday as the day we begin will be available, enabling users to view the
opening of the Rugby World Cup in Japan, our full-fledged 5G services’. The pre- game from multiple perspectives. The trial
allowing people in Tokyo and major cities commercial next-generation network service will also be available at four NTT
such as Nagoya and Osaka to experience service will be available at competition DOCOMO stores across Tokyo, Nagoya
the service, ahead of its full commercial venues for the Rugby World Cup and other and Osaka, it said.
rollout in spring 2020. The Japan Times locations, the company said in a statement,
cites DOCOMO’s president/CEO Kazuhiro noting that three ‘special smartphone

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