Bye Bye 5G - 5.5G is here | Dirt Report

What is 5.5G?

5.5G, also called 5G Advanced or 5GA, is the next development stage beyond current 5G services. The report compares it with earlier upgrades such as 3G Plus and Turbo 3G, noting that naming conventions have varied between countries and generations.

Huawei developed 5G Advanced nearly a year before the report, while larger deployments were beginning to appear. China Mobile was reported to be rolling out the technology, and some European city centres had also switched on 5.5G networks. Not every smartphone supports the new capabilities.

Speed and network capabilities

Huawei real-world testing was reported to have reached more than 5 Gbps, while a Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra demonstration in Barcelona reportedly achieved up to 5.44 Gbps. These figures represent demonstrations and supported network conditions, rather than a guarantee for all users.

The report highlights three capabilities intended to distinguish 5.5G from existing 5G: deterministic latency, precise positioning and passive Internet of Things support. Deterministic latency is described as a guaranteed upper limit, designed to keep latency below a defined level even when system conditions change.

That predictability could be important in applications where wireless control needs to be dependable. Suggested examples include drones operating around cities and robots handling precise or higher-risk tasks.

Potential consumer and industrial uses

Industrial demand is presented as a major reason for continued 5G and 5.5G investment. In China, more than 50,000 private 5G networks were reported to have entered commercial use across more than 50 industries.

For consumers, faster mobile internet could bring performance comparable with, or better than, some home internet services. The report also links 5.5G with wireless generative artificial intelligence, lower-latency cloud gaming and future services involving phones, glasses and real-time video or data connections.

The report cites a forecast from IDC that global AI smartphone shipments would reach 170 million in 2024, representing 15 per cent of smartphone shipments. It argues that more capable AI phones could create substantially greater data demand, giving telecommunications providers further opportunities to sell mobile services.

Availability, spectrum and pricing concerns

The technology remains limited by network coverage, device support and spectrum availability. The report says 5.5G had reached selected cities, but it was not expected to appear in suburban areas soon, especially in Australia, where 5G was still becoming widespread at the time of publication on 1 April 2024.

Spectrum allocation may also create uncertainty over whether some frequency bands are described as 5G Advanced, 5.5G or 6G. The report refers to disagreement involving the US Federal Communications Commission and US carriers over how future spectrum should be classified.

Another concern is that providers may divide these capabilities into separate paid services. The report says more than 20 per cent of global 5G carriers had adopted speed-based pricing models. Examples included a Thai carrier offering a 5G boost mode with different speed tiers, and a Chinese carrier selling a guaranteed uplink package for livestreamers. These approaches could allow providers to charge separately for speed, latency or particular applications.