Development History

The development of 5G networks marks the beginning of a new era for communication technology. From the concept to global commercial use, 5G has not only changed the way people communicate, but also provided strong technical support for the digital transformation of all walks of life. In the future, as technology continues to evolve, 5G will continue to promote the progress of the global economy and society.

Early Development and Concept Proposal

The concept of 5G network was first proposed in the early 2010s, when 4G LTE technology was just beginning to become popular. With the surge in the number of mobile devices and the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), the industry realized that a faster, more reliable, and lower-latency communication technology was needed to meet future needs. In 2012, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) began to develop a standard framework for 5G, proposed the "IMT-2020" vision, and clarified the key performance indicators of 5G, such as peak rate, latency, and connection density.

Standardization and technology development

2015 to 2018 is a critical period for 5G technology standardization. 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), as the world's major communications standard-setting organization, is responsible for the formulation of 5G standards. In December 2017, 3GPP completed the first 5G NR (New Radio) standard, marking the official entry of 5G technology into the implementation stage. At the same time, major global communications equipment manufacturers (such as Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, etc.) and chip manufacturers (such as Qualcomm, Intel, etc.) began to accelerate the development and testing of 5G technology.

The first commercial use of 5G

2019 is the first year of 5G commercial use. Countries such as South Korea, the United States, and China have taken the lead in launching 5G commercial services. In April 2019, South Korea became the first country in the world to launch a 5G commercial network, and the three major operators (SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+) simultaneously launched 5G services. Subsequently, major operators in the United States (such as Verizon and AT&T) also launched 5G networks. China officially announced the commercial use of 5G in October 2019, and the three major operators (China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom) began to deploy 5G networks nationwide.

Global expansion and network construction

From 2020 to 2022, 5G networks will expand rapidly around the world. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the construction of 5G networks has not stagnated. Countries and regions such as Europe, Japan, and Australia have also launched 5G services. China has become a global leader in 5G construction during this period. By the end of 2022, China has built more than 2 million 5G base stations, accounting for more than 70% of the total number of 5G base stations in the world.

Evolution and application of 5G technology

With the popularization of 5G networks, its application scenarios are also expanding. In addition to traditional mobile communications, 5G technology has shown great potential in the fields of Internet of Things, autonomous driving, smart cities, industrial Internet, etc. In 2021, 3GPP released the 5G-Advanced standard (Release 18), which further improved the performance of 5G and supported more diverse application scenarios.

Development History