5G Advanced and AI pave the way for sustainable 6G ecosystems

5G Americas has released a new white paper that delves into the significant advancements in 5G-Advanced as outlined in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Releases 18 through 20, paving the way for the future of 6G. The report highlights how 5G-Advanced is reshaping the wireless landscape by incorporating integrated AI capabilities, improved IoT scalability, energy-efficient networks, and expanded service potential.

According to Viet Nguyen, President of 5G Americas, "5G-Advanced marks a crucial milestone in cellular technology, leveraging artificial intelligence, sustainability, and connectivity to create more intelligent and resilient networks." One of the key innovations in 5G-Advanced is AI-native networking, which integrates machine learning into the RAN and core infrastructure to enable zero-touch automation, predictive maintenance, and intent-based Self-Organised Networks, resulting in significant improvements in fault detection and alarm reduction.

Energy efficiency is a major focus of 5G-Advanced, with features like cell sleep modes, antenna switching, and discontinuous transmission leading to energy savings of up to 56%. Additionally, advancements in ambient IoT technologies are paving the way for battery-less device ecosystems, further enhancing sustainability in wireless networks.

Latency innovations such as Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable (L4S) technologies, along with new quality of service frameworks, are enabling networks to support immersive extended reality (XR) experiences and real-time industrial automation with unparalleled reliability. These developments are crucial for meeting the demands of emerging technologies and applications.

Furthermore, 5G-Advanced is set to deliver Spectral Efficiency and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) Integration, extending high-performance 5G connectivity to underserved regions. With advanced MIMO techniques and support for NTN, uplink speeds exceeding 500 Mbps can be achieved, opening up possibilities for satellite-based coverage and enhanced connectivity.