5G has been steadily rolling out in markets across the world for several years now and has reached critical mass in many geographies today. The combination of radically increased bandwidth, decreased latency and greater device density per cell all make 5G highly appealing for IoT applications. However, challenges remain in terms of the potential costs, the demands of 5G radios within devices in terms of power and heat dissipation, and the emergence of mass-market applications that truly need 5G attributes. 3GPP Release 16 sets the agenda for where 5G goes next.

Speeds with 5G will be reliably more than 1Gbps with latency of less that 1ms, enabling the high speed, high bandwidth use cases that IoT projects have been waiting for. Highly latency sensitive services that rely on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable actions, such as automated or assisted driving and remote surgery, are at the top end of 5G scenarios and still under development, but the network performance of 5G has the potential to be transformative for many other use cases that are reality today. Media offerings are an obvious beneficiary of the advances and areas such as infotainment in vehicles as well as content provision in sports and entertainment venues are likely to utilize 5G. We will also see increasing use of 5G for industrial applications such as robotics and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

What’s new in 3GPP Release 16?

The 5G conversation has gone on for more than a decade, so the technology finally becoming a market reality moves the 5G industry into a new era. This isn’t a theoretical conversation anymore, it’s a discussion about use cases, revenue generation and service assurance. With this comes the challenge of making 5G work as expected, ensuring it is reliable and the performance promises made on paper translate into reality.

With this new realism and the urgency that comes with it in mind, Quectel has recently hosted a Masterclass exploring the latest developments in 5G, titled ‘What’s new in 5G networks? Tips and troubleshooting for 5G connectivity’. Aimed at product designers looking at how best to accommodate 5G into their devices, the Masterclass details the latest network enhancements as well providing a series of 5G tips and tricks to ensure your design is optimized and can enable the use case it is designed for.

Presented by Lukasz Olszewski, a Field Application Engineer (FAE) in the DACH region for Quectel, the session details what’s new in 5G 3GPP Release 16 including MIMO, DSS, EN-DC enhancement and UE power saving. The session also provides information on Quectel’s solutions portfolio including its cellular and Wi-Fi modules and its sub-6GHz and mmWave antennas. Finally, the session provides tips for troubleshooting 5G connectivity across USB, PCIE, QMI, MBIM, ECM usage and power management.

Now 5G is being commercialized, it’s time to engage in the 5G reality. The Masterclass is an essential aid to increasing your knowledge and understanding of the real capabilities of 5G. To view the Masterclass, visit: https://quectel-development.oriel-agency.dev/masterclass-library/tips-and-troubleshooting-5g-connectivity