3GPP Release 16 Schedule (Source: 3GPP)
5G NR Release 16 greatly expands the reach of 5G to realize new services, spectrum, and deployments. It offers many enhancements to the initial deployed 3GPP Release 15 5G system, to further improve capacity, coverage, power efficiency, mobility, latency, reliability etc.
Some of these are extensions to existing features, and others are new features for addressing new industry verticals and network deployment scenarios. For instance, Minimization of Drive Test (MDT) feature was first introduced for 4G LTE with an aim to use measurements reports from User Equipment (UE) to simplify network planning and optimization tasks that would otherwise depend entirely on live drive testing. With Release 16 enhancements, MDT can also be applied to 5G NR networks.
Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) is one of the positioning methods which was initially introduced for 4G LTE and is now extended into 5G NR. OTDOA relies on the UE measuring the time difference of Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) received from multiple cells and uses this to compute its location, with support from a location server.
Another highly anticipated and planned implementation in 3GPP Release 16 is the introduction of FR1 + FR2 NR Dual Connectivity. Prior to this, mmWave implementation has to rely on EN-DC which is NSA operation, where although the mmWave physical layer offers much wider bandwidth for higher data transfer rates, it is still limited on EPC core side. With this implementation of FR1 + FR2 NR-DC, mmWave can also be operated on 5G core, to unleash the full potential of 5G.
NR-NR Dual Connectivity
Power saving function to extend battery life is also one of the key new Release 16 features. The features include new wakeup signal (WUS), enhanced cross-slot scheduling, UE Assistance Information and optimized UE radio capability signaling (RACS). In addition, Release 16 mobility enhancements such as Conditional Handover (CHO), Overheating Assistance Information and SON (Self Organizing Network) are also being studied.
3GPP Features for Various Industry Verticals
On contribution to the development of UE, Anritsu has collaborated with multiple chipset vendors to validate latest 3GPP Release 16 test cases. For details, please refer to following articles on recent Anritsu 5G developments.
- Anritsu in collaboration with Qualcomm verifies industry first Release 16 Minimization of Drive Test for 5G New Radio Standalone mode
- Anritsu in collaboration with Qualcomm verifies industry first Dual Connectivity tester for 5G New Radio Standalone mode
- Anritsu and MediaTek verify industry first OTDOA (Observed Time Difference of Arrival) positioning test for 5G New Radio
- Anritsu’s MT8000A and MediaTek M80 5G Model achieve over 7Gbps Downlink Throughput with FR1 + FR2 Dual Connectivity
- Anritsu and Samsung Extend Collaboration to Delivery Latest 5G Release 16 Technology
On validating the performance of device when expanding 5G industry verticals use cases, in which both cellular industry and the new industry may yet to have expertise on the new area, Anritsu works with partners to provide a complete 5G test solutions for customers.
For details, please refer to the following articles:
- InterDigital and Anritsu Showcase Smart Factory Use Case for 5G Network Slicing and Multi-Access Edge Computing
- Anritsu, Spirent and TOYO Develop a New Solution for Evaluating 5G Video Quality
- Anritsu and dSPACE to Accelerate Simulation and Testing of 5G Automotive Applications
- Anritsu and HEAD acoustics extend their cooperation to support Solution for 5G VoNR Voice Quality Evaluation
- ETS-Lingren and Anritsu Announce 5G NR Stand-Alone Mode and Carrier Aggregation Test Support
Sumber : Anritsu
