5.5G technology is coming: DNA reached a speed of more than 10 gigabits per second in its mobile network

5.5G is the next major milestone in the 5G era. 5.5G or 5G Advanced, as the standardisation phase is also known, is the next step on the way to the 6G era. It covers the next three standard versions of the 3GPP, known as releases 18, 19 and 20. Release 18 will be completed in early 2024, and commercial network and terminal device solutions based on it are expected to hit the market later in the year. The 3GPP, or the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, is a collaboration between several standardisation organisations that develops global standards for mobile communications. It was established back in 1998.

“Whatever name you want to call the standard, it is an important bridge on the way from 5G to 6G. Finland has always been one of the pioneers in the world in mobile technology. Even now, even though 5G networks are still being built at a rapid pace around the country, we are also attending to future prospects together with our partners. The first phase of the 5.5G standard, i.e. release 18, will be completed in early 2024, and solutions based on it are expected to hit the market later next year”, says Jarkko Laari, VP, Radio Networks at DNA.

5.5G is expected to bring significant benefits to both service providers and users. It enables up to ten times the data speed and number of devices connected to the network compared to the original 5G standard. In the future, the role of artificial intelligence in the network will increase as it becomes an integral part of the network solution through standardisation. This, in turn, will enable even better optimisation of functions such as energy consumption and performance. In addition to download speeds of more than 10 gigabits per second, the standard will also enable gigabit-class upload speeds over the mobile network in the future. The predictability of network latency will also be further improved.

“Gigabit-class upload speeds will certainly be of particular interest to our corporate customers. 5.5G technology will make it possible to utilise AR and VR applications in larger environments than at present, such as in various industrial production facilities. Our goal is to be able to pilot the possibilities of the new technology with our customers in real usage situations, such as the fixed broadband connections of businesses and homes, in the near future”, Laari says.

DNA also introduced Passive IoT technology at its head office

On Wednesday 13 December, DNA organised an open event for the media at its head office in Käpylä, Helsinki, where the new technical capabilities of 5.5G and the opportunities for consumer and corporate customers were presented. Two separate demo events were held at the same time, one of which showcased the data speed of 5.5G technology in DNA’s commercial network, and the other the so-called Passive IoT technology, which is believed to have a significant impact on the spread of the Internet of Things in various logistics processes. However, Passive IoT technology is not part of the standard version to be released in early 2024, but is only one of the functionality candidates for the next version.

In the speed demo, a speed of more than 9,5 gigabits per second was achieved in the mobile network in the immediate vicinity of DNA’s head office. The measurement was carried out in the morning hours, when there is also other traffic in the network. During the quiet early hours of the morning, speeds of more than 10 gigabits per second have been reached for one user. In the test phase, two receiving 5G terminal devices combined have been used in the speed measurements, as commercial terminal devices supporting this 5.5G technology will not be available until later in 2024. Both 26 GHz and 3.5 GHz time-division bands and 2600 MHz, 2100 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency-division bands were used in the speed measurement.

The topic of the second demo was Passive IoT technology, which in the future will enable, for example, tracking the number and temperature of products equipped with RF tags in the desired area over the mobile network. Tracking can be carried out from a distance of up to 200 meters, which is believed to offer significant application opportunities in, for example, the logistics sector. The tags are only the size of the tip of one’s thumb and very inexpensive, so they are easy to use extensively, for example, to track stock levels. They get their power directly from their environment, such as from the radio network. DNA demonstrated Passive IoT technology in a separate test environment built at its head office.

Media enquiries:

Jarkko Laari, VP, Radio Networks, DNA Plc, tel. +358 44 044 4949, jarkko.laari@dna.fi

DNA Corporate Communications, tel. +358 44 044 8000, communications@dna.fi