Showing posts with label NTT DoCoMo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NTT DoCoMo. Show all posts

Thursday, 29 October 2026

How 3GPP Release 19 Optimises UE-Satellite-UE Voice and Video Communications

One of the interesting developments in 3GPP Release 19 is the introduction of optimised UE-Satellite-UE communications, allowing voice and video traffic between two satellite-connected devices to be routed through satellites without unnecessarily passing through the terrestrial core network.

We briefly covered this feature in our earlier discussion of Release 19 NTN enhancements, but a recent article (in Japanese) from the NTT DOCOMO Technical Journal, published in October 2026, provides a much more detailed explanation of the underlying 5G Core (5GC) and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture, along with the procedures needed to establish and maintain these communications.

The article, titled 5GC Enhancement Technologies for Satellite Communication Networks in 3GPP Release 19, explains how satellite-based user-plane functions, IMS media gateways and terrestrial control-plane functions work together to enable more efficient voice and video services.

To understand the significance of this development, it is worth briefly revisiting the evolution of 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN). Release 17 introduced NTN support based primarily on transparent satellite payloads, where satellites act as radio repeaters while the gNB and core network functions remain on the ground. Release 18 introduced core network architectural enhancements for regenerative GEO satellites, where additional processing and network functions can be located onboard. Release 19 further develops regenerative NTN architectures and supports scenarios involving LEO satellites with onboard user-plane functionality.

One problem with conventional satellite communication architectures is that even when two devices communicate through satellites belonging to the same constellation, their user traffic may still need to travel down to a terrestrial gateway, through the ground network, and then back up to the satellite serving the receiving device.

As shown in the diagram above, traffic from the originating UE travels to its serving satellite and across an inter-satellite link (ISL), before being routed through an NTN gateway and terrestrial 5GC. It then returns through the satellite network to reach the destination UE.

This introduces unnecessary satellite-to-ground and ground-to-satellite transmissions, increasing propagation delay and consuming feeder-link capacity. Depending on the constellation and routing arrangement, the additional latency can become significant, particularly for delay-sensitive applications such as voice and video calls.

Release 19 addresses this by allowing the media traffic to be routed locally through the satellite network, provided that the necessary network functions and inter-satellite connectivity are available. In the optimised arrangement, voice or video packets travel from one UE to its serving satellite, pass through satellite-based network functions and, when required, use inter-satellite links to reach the satellite serving the other UE. The traffic can therefore avoid traversing terrestrial network elements.

Importantly, this does not mean that the entire 5G Core or IMS network has been moved into space. This is probably the most interesting aspect of the architecture. The Release 19 solution places selected user-plane functions onboard the regenerative satellites, including the IMS Access Gateway (IMS-AGW), Uplink Classifier (UL-CL) and Local PDU Session Anchor (L-PSA). The IMS-AGW handles the media path associated with an IMS session. The UL-CL provides traffic classification and steering, allowing relevant packets to be directed towards the local satellite-based processing functions. The L-PSA provides the local user-plane anchoring needed for the optimised media path.

However, the main PDU Session Anchor (PSA) UPF remains on the ground. This is important because it allows the UE's IMS PDU session IP address to remain unchanged as the serving satellite changes. Similarly, IMS control-plane functions such as the Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) and Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) remain terrestrial.

In other words, the network separates the handling of voice and video packets from the signalling and control functions used to establish and manage the communication. The media can remain in space even though the session is still controlled through the terrestrial network. The architecture also relies on coordination between IMS and the 5GC. It is not sufficient simply to install a UPF on a satellite. The network must determine which satellites are serving the two devices, whether optimised routing is possible, and where the relevant media processing functions should be configured.

The call establishment procedure uses familiar IMS signalling, with additional mechanisms to support satellite identification and media path selection. When a UE initiates a voice or video call, it sends a SIP INVITE message. The originating P-CSCF obtains information from the terrestrial 5GC identifying the satellite currently serving the UE. Initially, a terrestrial IMS-AGW is selected, providing a conventional media path while the network determines whether satellite optimisation is possible.

The satellite identifier is conveyed towards the terminating side through the IMS signalling procedures. The terminating P-CSCF also obtains the identity of the satellite serving the receiving UE. Using this information, the network determines whether both sides can support optimised satellite media routing. If the required conditions are satisfied, the P-CSCFs select satellite-based IMS-AGWs, release the initially allocated terrestrial gateways where appropriate, and coordinate with the 5GC to configure the UL-CL and L-PSA functions onboard the satellites.

The 5GC policy and session management mechanisms, including interaction with the Policy Control Function (PCF) and Session Management Function (SMF), help establish the necessary traffic steering and Quality of Service (QoS) treatment. Once the procedure is complete, the IMS voice or video media can travel through the satellite network rather than being routed through terrestrial gateways.

It is worth emphasising that this is not a direct device-to-device radio connection. Each device still communicates with its serving satellite using the normal satellite access interface. The optimisation takes place inside the satellite network, with the appropriate onboard user-plane functions handling the media traffic.

Another important consideration is mobility. Unlike a conventional terrestrial mobile network, where the base station is generally stationary, LEO satellites move continuously relative to the Earth's surface. Even a stationary user may need to change serving satellites frequently as satellites enter and leave the visible coverage area.

This creates an additional challenge for optimised UE-Satellite-UE communication. A voice or video call may already be using satellite-based IMS-AGWs and local user-plane functions when one of the devices changes its serving satellite. Simply transferring the radio connection to another satellite is not enough. The media path must also be updated so that packets continue to reach the correct gateway and user-plane functions.

Release 19 defines procedures for maintaining the optimised media path when the serving satellite changes, as well as falling back to terrestrial routing when satellite-based optimisation can no longer be maintained.

When a UE changes its serving satellite, the 5GC can provide an early notification to the P-CSCF containing the identity of the target satellite. The P-CSCF then determines whether optimised routing can continue between the new serving satellite and the satellite serving the other UE. If it can, the network selects an IMS-AGW on the target satellite and coordinates the necessary user-plane configuration.

The SMF manages the appropriate UL-CL and L-PSA configuration, while updated media transport information is provided for the continuing session. This allows the media route to change without requiring the user to establish a completely new call. There will, however, be situations where the optimised route cannot be maintained. For example, the required inter-satellite connectivity may not be available, or the new satellite arrangement may not support the necessary media path.

Rather than allowing the communication to fail simply because the optimised path is unavailable, Release 19 also supports a terrestrial fallback procedure.

In this case, the P-CSCF arranges for the media to be routed through a terrestrial IMS-AGW instead of continuing through the optimised satellite path. The relevant media transport information is updated and provided through the 5GC. Both continued satellite optimisation and terrestrial fallback require the IMS session to be updated. This is achieved through the SIP RE-INVITE procedure.

The IMS Application Server (IMS-AS) plays a role in coordinating this update. Following the change of media gateway, the IMS-AS initiates SIP RE-INVITE signalling so that the two sides can renegotiate the media transport addresses associated with the ongoing session. Depending on whether the network is maintaining satellite-based routing or falling back to the ground, the relevant IMS-AGWs and media paths are updated accordingly.

This is particularly important for LEO satellite systems, where changes in the serving satellite are a normal part of operation rather than an occasional event. The ability to relocate media functions and update traffic paths is essential for maintaining service continuity, although actual interruption performance will depend on network implementation and operating conditions.

There are also some important limitations to the Release 19 functionality. The standardised UE-Satellite-UE optimisation discussed here is restricted to IMS-based voice and video services involving two devices belonging to the same Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), without roaming. It does not provide a general-purpose mechanism for arbitrary data communication between any two satellite-connected devices.

The requirement for satellite-based processing also means that the feature is intended for appropriately equipped regenerative satellite networks. It should not be confused with conventional transparent-payload direct-to-device services. NTT DOCOMO identifies support for additional services, including mission-critical communications and non-IMS data exchange, as areas for further development. Communication between different PLMNs and roaming scenarios also remains an important area for future standardisation, with related work being considered in Release 20.

From a network architecture perspective, this development is particularly interesting because it demonstrates how 5G is evolving towards more distributed processing. Instead of forcing all traffic through a centralised terrestrial network, selected user-plane and media functions can operate closer to the devices being served, even when those functions are located on moving satellites.

There are, of course, practical challenges. Satellite resources, onboard processing capabilities, inter-satellite connectivity, transport topology and coordination between terrestrial and non-terrestrial network functions will influence how such systems can be deployed. Standardising the architecture does not necessarily mean that operators have already implemented these capabilities commercially.

Nevertheless, the Release 19 enhancements represent an important step towards more tightly integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial mobile networks. While the immediate focus is on optimising IMS voice and video communication, the underlying principles of distributed user-plane processing, dynamic media routing and service continuity are likely to remain relevant as NTN architectures evolve towards 6G.

For those interested in the detailed procedures, the original NTT DOCOMO article is well worth reading, particularly its signalling diagrams. The relevant 3GPP specifications include TS 23.501, which covers the 5G System architecture for UE-Satellite-UE communication, and TS 23.228, whose Annex AE addresses the IMS architecture and media routing procedures.

Related Posts: 

Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...0 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Thursday, 9 October 2025

Seamless UE Context Recovery (SUECR) in 3GPP Release 18

3GPP Release 18 introduces a wide range of enhancements across the 5G system, from energy efficiency and XR optimisation to AI-powered features. Among these developments is a practical but important addition known as Seamless User Equipment Context Recovery (SUECR), designed to handle situations where a device temporarily goes offline.

When a device such as a smartphone or IoT unit undergoes an operating system upgrade, a modem reset or a software update, it may become unavailable for a period of time. If this happens without informing the network, the operator’s core functions and connected application servers may continue to treat the device as available. This can result in wasted signalling, unnecessary retries and disruptions to critical operations that depend on the device’s availability.

SUECR provides a solution by allowing the device to notify the network of an unavailability period, which is a defined window of time during which it cannot communicate. Both the device and the core network retain important session and mobility information so that once the device returns, service can continue smoothly without unnecessary procedures.

The feature works in two ways depending on the device’s ability to store context information. If the device can preserve its mobility and session management contexts in non-volatile memory or on the SIM, it executes a registration procedure before going offline. The unavailability period is included in this request, and the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) records the duration and recognises the device as unreachable until it re-registers. If an application function has subscribed to receive updates on device availability, the AMF also forwards this information so that application servers can adapt accordingly. If the device cannot save its context, it instead executes a deregistration procedure to notify the AMF of its unavailability, with similar treatment by the network until the device performs its next registration.

Once the update or reset is complete, the device re-registers with the network and resumes normal service. If the planned downtime is delayed, cancelled or extended, the device repeats the procedure to keep the network and applications accurately informed. This ensures that network functions and application servers no longer waste resources attempting to reach devices that are temporarily offline.

By introducing SUECR, Release 18 strengthens service reliability and efficiency. It prevents unnecessary signalling and enables critical applications to maintain accurate awareness of device availability. The figure above, from NTT Docomo’s Technical Journal, illustrates how the unavailability period is managed depending on whether the registration or deregistration procedure is used.

Seamless User Equipment Context Recovery may appear as a small enhancement in the context of all the new Rel-18 features, but it addresses an important gap in 5G operations. As networks continue to evolve towards automation and support for mission-critical services, this function will play a key role in making device management more predictable and dependable.

Related Posts: 

Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...0 comments so far
Labels: , , , , ,

Tuesday, 23 September 2025

5G+ and 5GA Icon (Pictogram) in New Smartphones

As 5G matures, new icons are appearing on smartphones to distinguish faster or more advanced connections. Some of the latest 5G smartphones around the world have started showing new icons such as 5G+ and 5GA. Interestingly, in Japan these are referred to as pictograms.

A long time ago, we looked at how Swisscom described its 5G rollout as 5G-wide and 5G-fast. Today, Swisscom uses the 5G+ icon to represent what it previously called 5G-fast. In its annual report, Swisscom explained:

5G (and 5G+) is the latest generation of mobile technology. Compared to 3G and 4G, it provides even more capacity, very short response times, and higher bandwidths. 5G technology plays a major role in supporting the digitalisation of the Swiss economy and industry. Swisscom differentiates between 5G-fast (narrower coverage up to 2 Gbit/s and more) and 5G-wide (Switzerland-wide 5G coverage with up to 1 Gbit/s). 5G-fast is also known as 5G+. Both variants are more efficient than their predecessor technologies with respect to energy consumption and use of electromagnetic fields.

Japan has only recently transitioned to using 5G+. A Google-translated page from NTT Docomo explains it as follows:

In areas where 5G communication is possible, the RAT display on standby will be "5G." On the other hand, during communication, the RAT display will be "5G+" for 5G communication using wideband 5G frequencies (3.7 GHz, 4.5 GHz, 28 GHz), "5G" for 5G communication using 4G frequencies, and "4G+" for LTE communication.

There are also footnotes clarifying that the display depends on the device, the bands supported, and the area of use.

From this, my understanding is that in newer devices the 5G+ icon is primarily used to indicate speed and capability, regardless of whether the connection is Standalone (SA) or Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G. KDDI is following the same approach, as explained on its own support pages.

Last year we looked at what iPhone icons meant. In iOS 18, 5G+ indicated that the phone was connected to mmWave. In iOS 19 this hasn’t really changed, although I have been told that it depends on the operator whether they choose to display 5G+ when the device is camped on higher-speed mid-band 5G.

Samsung Galaxy smartphones display two or three types of icons, as shown in the picture at the top. While the meanings are not entirely clear, Samsung’s user guide for Android 15 explains them as:

  • Filled square: “5G network connected”, which I interpret as being connected to a 5G Standalone network.
  • Transparent or outlined square: “LTE network connected in LTE network that includes the 5G network.”, which I interpret as 5G NSA.  
  • I did not find a reference to the unboxed 5G icon in this manual.

Finally, the OnePlus 13 in India has started displaying the 5GA icon. Since Jio only operates a 5G Standalone network, it is possible they have upgraded the network and device to use the Release 18 ASN with some new features. This allows them to market it as 5G-Advanced, thereby justifying the 5GA icon.

If you have noticed something different in your country or region, or have another interpretation, I would love to hear more.

Related Posts:

Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...0 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Friday, 5 April 2024

A Different Approach for Mobile Network Densification

I am fascinated by and have previously written blog posts about transparent antennas. Back in 2019 NTT Docomo announced that they have been working with glass manufacturer AGC to create a new transparent antenna that can work with a base station to become an antenna. Then in 2021, NTT Docomo and AGC announced that they have developed a prototype technology that efficiently guides 28-GHz 5G radio signals received from outdoors to specific locations indoors using a film-like metasurface lens that attaches to window surfaces. Transparent antennas/lens are one of the pillars of Docomo’s 6G vision as can be seen here.

Every year at Mobile World Congress I look for a wow product/demo. While there were some that impressed me, the suite of products from Wave by AGC (WAVEANTENNA, WAVETHRU and WAVETRAP) blew me away. Let’s look at each of them briefly:

WAVEANTENNA is the transparent glass antenna which is generally installed indoors, on a window or a glass pane. It can be used to receive signals from outdoors (as in case of FWA) or can be used to broadcast signal outdoors (for densification based on inside-out coverage). In the newer buildings that has thermal insulation films on the glass, the radio signals are highly attenuated in either direction, so this solution could work well in that scenario in conjunction with WAVETHRU.

The WAVETHRU process applies a unique laser pattern to the glazing with 30 µm laser engraved lines that are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Treatment is so gentle, it does not affect the physical properties of the glazing, which remain the same. This radio-friendly laser treatment improves the indoor radio signal by around 25 dB, to achieve almost the same level of performance as the street signal. Just 20% to 30% of the window and floors 0 to 4 need to be treated to improve the indoor signal on all frequency ranges under 6GHz.

In case of coverage densification by providing inside-out radio signals, WAVETRAP can be used for EM wave shielding by stopping back-lobes within the building. 

This video from WAVE by AGC explains the whole densification solution:

 

Now the question is, why was I impressed with this solution? Regular readers of this and the Telecoms Infrastructure Blog will have noticed the various solutions I have been writing about for mobile network densification in downtown areas and historic cities with listed buildings where limited space for infrastructure deployment presents several challenges. 

In brief, we can categorise these challenges as follows:

  • Physical Space Constraints like lack of space or strict regulations as in case of listed buildings and heritage sites. 
  • Aesthetics and Visual Impact could be an important consideration in certain historic city centres. Deploying large antennae or towers can clash with the architectural character and heritage of the area and may require concealing antennae within existing structures like chimneys, bus shelters, phone boxes & lampposts, or using disguised designs like fake trees to minimize visual impact.
  • Technical Challenges can arise in dense urban environments due to interference from neighbouring cells, unreliable backhaul connectivity, interruptions in the power supply due to siphoning, etc.
  • Community Engagement and Perception is another important area to consider. There is no shortage of NIMBY (Not in my back yard) activists that may oppose new infrastructure due to health concerns, aesthetics, or fear of property devaluation. Engaging with the community, providing accurate information about EMF exposure, and addressing misconceptions are crucial.
  • Regulatory and Permitting Hurdles that may arise due to many cities and councils imposing zoning and permits requirements. Obtaining permits for infrastructure deployment involves navigating local regulations, zoning laws, and historic preservation boards. There may also be height restrictions that may hinder optimal antenna placement.
  • Finally, Cost and ROI are important consideration factors as all of the above increases the costs as well as the time required. Customized designs, site acquisition, and compliance with regulations are one of the major factors that not only increase costs but also delays infrastructure rollouts. Operators often weigh the benefits of improved coverage and capacity against all the expenses and headaches of infrastructure deployment and then decide on what to deploy and where.

A solution like WAVEANTENNA in conjunction with WAVETHRU and WAVETRAP can significantly reduce the hurdles and improve coverage significantly. 

While I have talked about the solution in general, it can also be applied indoors to Wi-Fi, in addition to 4G/5G. This may be useful in case of Enterprise Networks where appearance is of importance and probably not of much use in case of warehouses or Industrial/Factory Networks. 

Do let me know what you think.

Related Posts: 

Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 12:35 Leave a comment...1 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Saturday, 10 September 2022

CUPS for Flexible U-Plane Processing Based on Traffic Characteristics

I looked at Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS) in a tutorial, nearly five years back here. Since then most focus has been on 5G, not just on my blogs but also from the industry. 

Earlier this year, NTT Docomo's Technical Journal looked at CUPS for Flexible U-Plane Processing Based on Traffic Characteristics. The following is an extract from the article:

At the initial deployment phase of 5th Generation mobile communication systems (5G), the 5G Non-Stand-Alone (NSA) architecture was widely adopted to realize 5G services by connecting 5G base stations to the existing Evolved Packet Core (EPC). As applications based on 5G become more widespread, the need for EPC to achieve higher speed and capacity communications, lower latency communications and simultaneous connection of many terminals than ever has become urgent. Specifically, it is necessary to increase the number of high-capacity gateway devices capable of processing hundreds of Gbps to several Tbps to achieve high-speed, high-capacity communications, to distribute gateway devices near base station facilities to achieve even lower latency communications, and to improve session processing performance for connecting massive numbers of terminals simultaneously.

Conventional single gateway devices have both Control Plane (C-Plane) functions to manage communication sessions and control communications, and User Plane (U-Plane) functions to handle communications traffic. Therefore, if the previously assumed balance between the number of sessions and communications capacity is disrupted, either the C-Plane or the U-Plane will have excess processing capacity. In high-speed, high-capacity communications, the C-Plane has excess processing power, and in multiple terminal simultaneous connections, the U-Plane has excess processing power because the volume of communications is small compared to the number of sessions. If the C-Plane and U-Plane can be scaled independently, these issues can be resolved, and efficient facility design can be expected. In addition, low-latency communications require distributed deployment of the U-Plane function near the base station facilities to reduce propagation delay. However, in the distributed deployment of conventional devices with integrated C-Plane and U-Plane functions, the number of sessions and communication volume are unevenly distributed among the gateway devices, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of facility utilization. Since there is no need for distributed deployment of C-Plane functions, if the C-Plane and U-Plane functions can be separated and the way they are deployed changed according to their characteristics, the loss of facility utilization efficiency related to C-Plane processing capacity could be greatly reduced.

CUPS is an architecture defined in 3GPP TS 23.214 that separates the Serving GateWay (SGW)/Packet data network GateWay (PGW) configuration of the EPC into the C-Plane and U-Plane. The CUPS architecture is designed so that there is no difference in the interface between the existing architecture and the CUPS architecture - even with CUPS architecture deployed in SGW/PGW, opposing devices such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), evolved NodeB (eNB)/ next generation NodeB (gNB), and SGWs/PGWs of other networks such as Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) and roaming are not affected. For C-Plane, SGW Control plane function (SGW-C)/PGW Control plane function (PGW-C), and for U-Plane, SGW User plane function (SGW- U)/PGW User plane function (PGW-U) are equipped with call processing functions. By introducing CUPS, C-Plane/U-Plane capacities can be expanded individually as needed. Combined SGW-C/PGW-C and Combined SGW-U/PGW-U can handle the functions of SGW and PGW in common devices. In the standard specification, in addition to SGW/PGW, the Traffic Detection Function (TDF) can also be separated into TDF-C and TDF-U, but the details are omitted in this article.

From above background, NTT DOCOMO has been planning to deploy Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS) architecture to realize the separation of C-Plane and U-Plane functions as specified in 3rd Generation Partnership Project Technical Specification (3GPP TS) 23.214. Separating the C-Plane and U-Plane functions of gateway devices with CUPS architecture makes it possible to scale the C-Plane and U-Plane independently and balance the centralized deployment of C-Plane functions with the distributed deployment of U- Plane functions, thereby enabling the deployment and development of a flexible and efficient core network. In addition to solving the aforementioned issues, CUPS will also enable independent equipment upgrades for C-Plane and U-Plane functions, and the adoption of U-Plane devices specialized for specific traffic characteristics.

In the user perspective, the introduction of CUPS can be expected to dramatically improve the user experience through the operation of facilities specializing in various requirements, and enable further increases in facilities and lower charges to pursue user benefits by improving the efficiency of core network facilities.

Regarding the CUPS architecture, a source of value for both operators and users, this article includes an overview of the architecture, additional control protocols, U-Plane control schemes based on traffic characteristics, and future developments toward a 5G Stand-Alone (5G SA) architecture.

The article is available here.

Related Posts: 

Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...0 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Open RAN Terminology and Players


When we made our little Open RAN explainer, couple of years back, we never imagined this day when so many people in the industry will be talking about Open RAN. I have lost track of the virtual events taking place and Open RAN whitepapers that have been made available just in the last month.

One of the whitepapers just released was from NTT Docomo, just in time for MWC 2021. You can see the link in the Tweet

Even after so much information being available, many people still have basic questions about Open RAN and O-RAN. I helped make an Open RAN explainer series and blogged about it here. Just last week, I blogged about the O-RAN explainer series that I am currently working on, here.

There were some other topics that I couldn't cover elsewhere so made some short videos on them for the 3G4G YouTube channel. The first video/presentation explains Open RAN terminology that different people, companies and organizations use. It starts with open interfaces and then looks at radio hardware disaggregation and compute disaggregation. Moving from 2G/3G/4G to 5G, it also explains the Open RAN approach to a decomposed architecture with RAN functional splits.

If you look at the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) OpenRAN group or O-RAN Alliance, the organizations driving the Open RAN vision and mission, you will notice many new small RAN players are joining one or both of them. In addition, you hear about other Open RAN consortiums that again include small innovative vendors that may not be very well known. 

The second video is an opinion piece looking at what is driving these companies to invest in Open RAN and what can they expect as return in future.

As always, all 3G4G videos' slides are available on our SlideShare channel.

Related Posts:

Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...0 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, 22 June 2020

Carrier Aggregation (CA) and Dual Connectivity (DC)


This topic keeps coming up every few months with either someone asking me for clarifications or someone asking us to make a video. While I don't think I will mange to get round to making a video sometime soon, there are some excellent resources available that should help a new starter. Here they are in an order I think works best



The first resource that I think also works best is this webinar / training from Award Solutions. It covers this topic well and the image at the top of the post is a god summary for someone who already understands the technology.


It may also help to understand that in the 5G NSA can have 4G carrier aggregation as well as 5G carrier aggregation in addition to dual connectivity.


If you saw the video earlier, you noticed that DC actually came as part of LTE in Release-12. We covered it in our Telecom Infrastructure blog here. NTT Docomo Technical journal had a detailed article on 'Carrier Aggregation Enhancement and Dual Connectivity Promising Higher Throughput and Capacity' that covered DC in a lot more technical detail, albeit from LTE point of view only. The article is available here. A WWRF whitepaper from the same era can also provide more details on LTE Small Cell Enhancement by Dual Connectivity. An archived copy of the paper is available here.

Another fantastic resource is this presentation by Rapeepat Ratasuk and Amitava Ghosh from Mobile Radio Research Lab, Nokia Bell Labs. The presentation is available here and details the MCG (Master Cell Group) Split Bearer and SCG (Secondary Cell Group) Split Bearer, etc. This article from Ericsson also provides more detail on this topic while ShareTechNote takes it one level even deeper with technical details and signalling here and here.

So hopefully this is a good detailed starting point on this topic, until we manage to make a simple video someday.
Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...0 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, 2 June 2020

Embedded SIM (eSIM) and Integrated SIM (iSIM)

It's been a while since I wrote detailed posts explaining UICC and SIM cards. Since then the SIM cards have evolved from Mini SIM to Micro SIM and Nano SIM. They are evolving even further, especially for M2M / IoT devices as embedded SIM (eSIM or eUICC) and integrated SIM (iSIM).


Embedded SIMs (eSIMs) or embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Cards (eUICCs) are physical SIMs that are soldered into the device and enable storage and remote management of multiple network operator profiles (remote SIM provisioning). The form factor of eSIM is known as MFF2.

The integrated SIMs (iSIMs) moves the SIM from a separate chip into a secure enclave alongside the application processor and cellular radio on a purpose-built system on a chip (SoC).

We made a short tutorial explaining UICC & SIM and then looking at eSIM, iSIM and how remote SIM provisioning works. The video and slides are embedded below. The slides contain a lot of useful links for further reading.







Related Posts:
Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...1 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Monday, 11 May 2020

5G Remote Surgery and Telehealth Solutions


One of the most controversial 5G use cases is the remote surgery. In this post I want to quickly look at the history and what is possible. Before I go to that, here is a short summary video that I am embedding upfront.



As far as I can recall, Ericsson was the first vendor that started talking about remote surgery. This is a tweet from back in 2017.


Huawei didn't want to be far behind so they did one at MWC Shanghai in 2018. Their tweet with video is embedded below.


In January 2019, South China Morning Post (SCMP) showed a video of a remote surgery on an animal. While the video and the article didn't provide many details, I am assuming this was done by Huawei as detailed here. The video of the surgery below.



This was followed by Mobile World Congress 2019 demo where a doctor used 5G to direct surgery live from a stage at MWC to Hospital Clinic Barcelona over 3 miles away. The team of doctors was removing a cancerous tumor from a patient's colon. This video from that is embedded below.



Vodafone New Zealand had a silly remote surgery of a dog video but looks like they have removed it.  Nothing can beat this Telecom Italia ad embedded below.



There are some realistic use cases. One of them being that with 5G the number of cables / wires in a hospital can be reduced saving on the disinfection.
NTT Docomo showcased 5G Mobile SCOT (Smart Cyber Operating Theater) which is an Innovative solution to enable advanced medical treatment in diverse environments. You can read more details here.

There are lots of other things going on. Here is a short list:
  • April 2020: Because of Coronavirus COVID-19, NT Times has an article on Telemedicine Arrives in the U.K.: ‘10 Years of Change in One Week’ - even though this does not involve 5G, it just shows that we are moving in that direction.
  • February 2020: 5G-aided remote CT scans used to diagnose COVID-19 patients in China (link)
  • February 2020: Verizon teamed with Emory Healthcare to test new 5G use cases for the medical industry at the latter’s Innovation Hub in Atlanta, in a bid to discover how the technology can be used to improve patient care. The collaboration will explore applications including connected ambulances; remote physical therapy; medical imaging; and use of AR and VR for training. (link)
  • February 2020: Vodafone 5G Healthcare – Conference & Experience Day (link)
  • November 2019: TIM enables first live remote-surgery consultation using 5G immersive reality (link)
  • October 2019: Along with a hospital in Malaga, Telefónica has presented what it claims is the first expert assistance system for medical interventions that runs on 5G. (link and video)
  • September 2019: Mobile Future Forward 2019 - World's First Remote VR Surgery Demo conducted on Sept 4th, 2019 in Seattle by Chetan Sharma, James Youngquist, Evie Powell, Nissim Hadar, David Colmenares, and Gabe Jones. (link)

Finally, a nice video on Benefits of 5G for Healthcare Technology by T-Mobile



Related Posts:
Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...0 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, 26 January 2020

NTT Docomo's Vision on 5G Evolution and 6G


NTT Docomo released a whitepaper on 5G Evolution and 6G. In a press release they announced:

NTT DOCOMO has released a white paper on the topic of 6G, the sixth-generation mobile communications system that the company aims to launch on a commercial basis by 2030. It incorporates DOCOMO's views in the field of 5G evolution and 6G communications technology, areas that the company has been researching since 2018. The white paper summarizes the related technical concepts and the expected diverse use cases of evolving 5G and new 6G communication technologies, as well as the technology components and performance targets.

 Mobile communication systems typically evolve into the next generation over a period of roughly ten years; DOCOMO commenced its research into the commercial launch of 5G in 2010. In 2018, the company conducted successful radio wave propagation experiments at frequencies of up to 150 GHz, levels which are expected to enable the much faster and larger-capacity communications that 6G will require.

 DOCOMO will continue to enhance the ultra-high-speed, large-capacity, ultra-reliable, low-latency and massive device-connectivity capabilities of 5G technology. It will continue its research into and development of 5G evolution and 6G technology, aiming to realize technological advances including:

  • the achievement of a combination of advances in connectivity, including ultra-high speed, large capacity and low latency
  • the pioneering of new frequency bands, including terahertz frequencies
  • the expansion of communication coverage in the sky, at sea and in space
  • the provision of ultra-low-energy and ultra-low-cost communications
  • the ensuring of highly reliable communications
  • the capability of massive device-connectivity and sensing

Visitors to DOCOMO Open House 2020 will be able to view conceptual displays incorporating DOCOMO's vision of the evolution of 5G technologies into 6G. The event will take place in the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition complex in Tokyo on January 23 and 24. DOCOMO also plans to hold a panel session entitled "5G Evolution and 6G" on January 24.

Videos from Docomo Open House are embedded below, along with a previous talk by Takehiro Nakamura from 6G Summit.


6G has become a hot topic, especially after China announced back in November that they are working on 6G. We have some interesting tweets on 6G as well.

This one from Stefan Pongratz, Dell'Oro group shows the timeline for 5G, Pre-6G and 6G



This one provides a timeline all the way from Release 99 up till 21



Finally, here is a tweet highlighting the 6G research



Finally, the paper acknowledges the 5G challenges and focus areas for 5G evolution, before focusing on 6G.
The mmWave coverage and mobility needs improvement, while the downlink is able to provide very high data rates, the uplink is struggling to be better than 4G. Also, there are some very extreme requirements for industrial use cases, 5G has yet to prove that it can meet them.

Finally, here is another view from iDate Digiworld comparing 5G vs 6G in terms of performance, spectrum and network.



Related Posts:
Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 08:35 Leave a comment...3 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , ,

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

Private 4G / 5G Cellular Networks and Bring Your Own Spectrum


With 4G maturing, private cellular networks are finally getting the attention that they deserve and has been promised for quite a while. In a Industry Analyst event, Nokia announced that they are running 120+ private networks including transportation, Energy, Public sector, Smart cities, manufacturing and logistics, etc. (tweet below). The Enterprise Business division is now accounting for 5% of the revenue.
Ray Le Maistre, Editor-in-Chief at Light Reading, in an opinion on Telecoms.com pointed out:

One of the more immediate revenue stream opportunities right now is wireless private networks, and the good news is that this opportunity doesn’t require 5G. Instead, the potential looks set to be enhanced by the availability of a full set of 5G standards (including the yet-to-be concluded core network specs) and the maturity of associated technology.

 In the meantime, 4G/LTE has already been the cellular foundation for an increasingly thriving wireless private networks sector that, according to ABI Research, will be worth $16.3 billion by 2025

 Another market sizing prediction, this time by SNS Telecom & IT, pitches annual spending on private 4G and 5G networks at $4.7 billion by the end of 2020 and almost $8 billion by 2023. 

 However this plays out, there’s clear anticipation of growing investment. What’s particularly interesting, though, is which organizations might pocket that investment. That’s because enterprises and/or organizations looking to benefit from having a private wireless network have a number of options once they decide to move ahead with a private network – here are three permutations that look most likely to me:
  1. Build and run it themselves – technology vendors get some sales in this instance
  2. Outsource the network planning, construction and possibly even the day-to-day. management of the network to a systems integrator (SI) – the SI and some vendors get the spoils. It’s possible here, of course, that the SI could be a technology vendor.
  3. Outsource to a mobile network operator – the operator and some vendors will get some greenbacks.
For sure there will be other permutations, but it shows how many different parts of the ecosystem have some skin in the game, which is what makes this sector so interesting.

 What’s also interesting, of course, is what the enterprises do with their private networks: Does it enhance operations? Help reduce costs? Create new business opportunities? All of the above?

 Let’s not forget the role of the regulators in all of this. In the US the private wireless sector has been given a shot in the arm by the availability of CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) shared spectrum in the currently unlicensed 3.5 GHz band: This has given rise to numerous trials and deployments in locations such as sports stadiums, Times Square and even prisons.

 In Germany, the regulator has set aside 100MHz of 5G spectrum for private, industrial networks has caused a storm and even led to accusations from the mobile operators that the move ramped up the cost of licenses in the spectrum auction held earlier this year.

 In the UK, Ofcom is making spectrum available in four bands:
  • the 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz shared spectrum bands, which are currently used for mobile services;
  • the 3.8-4.2 GHz band, which supports 5G services, and
  • the 26 GHz band, which has also been identified as one of the main bands for 5G in the future.
Slide shared by Mansoor Hanif, CTO, Ofcom at TIP Summit 2019

 The process to enable companies and organizations (Ofcom has identified manufacturers, business parks, holiday/theme parks and farms as potential users) in the UK to apply for spectrum will go live before the end of this year, with Ofcom believing that thousands of private networks could be up and running in the coming years.

Dean Bubley from Disruptive Analysis recently spoke about BYOSpectrum – Why private cellular is a game-changer at TAD Summit. The talk is embedded below and is definitely worth listening:



TelecomPaper reported:

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy said that companies can start to apply to use 5G frequencies in the 3.7-3.8 GHz range on industrial campuses. Local frequencies enable firms to build their own private networks, rather than rely on telecommunications providers to build networks. 

 The Automotive Industry Association (VDA) and other industry associations including the VCI, VDMA and ZVEI have welcomed the allocation of frequencies for industrial campuses. According to VDA, several dozen companies have already registered their interest in such frequencies with the Federal Network Agency. 

 The firms believe that 5G can replace existing networks, including WLAN, provide improved coverage of entire company premises, enable full control over company data and reduce disruption to public mobile networks.

 The spectrum licences will be allocated based on the applicant's geographic footprint and use of a certain area. Prices also take account the area covered by the network, as well as the amount of bandwidth used and duration of the licence.

The formula for the prices is very interesting as shown in the tweet below



In Japan, NTT Docomo is working in co-operation with industry partners to help them to create their own private 5G networks. More announcements on this are expected at MWC next year.



Finally, I am running an Introduction to Private 4G /5G Networks Workshop with Dean Bubley on 04 Feb 2020. If this is an area of interest, consider attending it.



 Related Posts:
Posted by Zahid Ghadialy at 07:35 Leave a comment...0 comments so far
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)