5G-Advanced features: Pervasive AI, broader reach, precision

What is 5G-Advanced?

5G-Advanced transforms the network into a more intelligent, adaptable and energy-efficient system. Key to this transformation is deep integration of AI and ML throughout the 5G radio access network (RAN) and core to enable greater automation, self-optimization and energy savings. The standard also brings significant performance enhancements for XR applications, high-precision positioning and massive MIMO -- a dramatically scaled-up version of MIMO -- for improved uplink data rates and coverage.

The importance of 5G-Advanced lies in its potential to unlock the commercial value and sophisticated use cases that the first phase of 5G and previous cellular generations could not. It does so primarily by improving reliability and delivering differentiated connectivity through enhanced network slicing and exposure. The focus on energy efficiency addresses critical sustainability concerns, making 5G-Advanced the bridge technology that can realize the broader ecosystem potential of 5G.

The current focus of the industry is on the commercial rollout of Release 18, with early deployments already underway by several global operators and a wider rollout of Release 18-compliant networks and devices expected to ramp up through late 2025 and into 2026. This initial phase will emphasize deploying AI/ML capabilities throughout the network, making operations more autonomous, improving energy efficiency by dynamically managing power consumption, and boosting the performance of enhanced mobile broadband -- an existing service category of 5G -- with new massive MIMO and uplink capabilities. The primary business drivers for this rollout include expanding XR services and meeting the proliferating demand for tailored private 5G networks for industrial automation.

Essential features and innovations in 5G-Advanced

The key improvements fall into the following eight categories:

1. Improved massive MIMO

Massive MIMO enhancements in 5G-Advanced significantly boost network performance and spectrum efficiency. This is achieved by refining the channel state information framework and improving multi-user MIMO to support more simultaneous data streams in both directions. Crucial advancements like coherent joint transmission enable distributed transmitters to coordinate signals, improving coverage and data quality. These collective improvements, including planned support for larger antenna arrays in later releases, are essential for meeting the high-capacity and low-latency demands of applications like XR and fixed wireless access.

2. Accurate timing

Accurate timing is essential for 5G-Advanced to enable advanced features like high-precision positioning and synchronized time division duplex, a commonly used 4G and 5G method for sending and receiving data on the same frequency by alternating between the two. 5G-Advanced relies on microsecond-level synchronization between user equipment and the network to ensure optimal performance and reliable massive MIMO beamforming. This precise timing, extending into the nanosecond range, is critical for new industrial applications such as robot control and time-sensitive networking, a standard for providing low latency, high reliability and precise synchronization on Ethernet networks. 5G-Advanced is engineered to have a highly resilient time reference that can serve as a backup to the timing provided by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS).

3. RedCap devices

RedCap 2.0, also known as enhanced RedCap, is vital for 5G-Advanced because it bridges the gap between low-power IoT and high-end 5G by offering a middle ground. It significantly reduces device complexity and cost by using fewer antennas and narrower bandwidth, enabling widespread adoption of smaller devices. This makes it well suited for mid-tier IoT applications, including industrial sensors and video monitoring, that require moderate throughput and enhanced power conservation. RedCap provides a pathway for devices transitioning from aging 4G LTE networks and integrates with network slicing to guarantee reliable service for new vertical markets.

4. Mobile XR

Mobile XR is a core driver of 5G-Advanced. It demands extremely low latency, bounded so it doesn't exceed certain limits, along with high capacity to deliver immersive consumer and enterprise applications. The 5G-Advanced standard addresses these requirements by supporting split processing between the local device and the edge cloud, which enables lighter, more power-efficient headsets. New features like L4S -- low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput -- and XR awareness in RANs help prioritize and manage this sensitive traffic and maintain near-zero delay for real-time interactivity, especially when users are mobile.

5. AI-enhanced RAN

AI-enhanced RAN is important to 5G-Advanced because it introduces the intelligent automation needed to manage exponential network complexity and service diversity. AI algorithms dynamically optimize RAN performance in real time by adjusting beamforming and resource allocation, which is necessary to ensure ultra-low latency for demanding applications like XR. Furthermore, AI is vital for delivering energy efficiency through intelligent traffic prediction. It also enables zero-touch operations and new features like high-accuracy positioning.

6. Precise positioning

Precise positioning is a vital 5G-Advanced capability because it unlocks demanding industrial and public safety use cases that require highly granular location data. This enhancement achieves sub-10-cm accuracy, enabling reliable navigation for autonomous robots and highly accurate asset tracking in smart factories and warehouses. By providing resilient, location-aware service where GNSS is unavailable, this integration of communication and high-precision sensing can extend the network's value.

7. NTN

NTN, which encompasses satellites and high-altitude platforms such as drones and balloons, are critical for 5G-Advanced, as they deliver ubiquitous global coverage to areas that terrestrial networks cannot reach, such as oceans and remote rural regions. NTN provides essential network resilience and redundancy to 5G-Advanced, ensuring continuous communication for disaster recovery and public safety during terrestrial power outages. NTN also expands 5G services to massive IoT applications in hard-to-reach locations, such as smart agriculture and asset tracking across vast distances. By incorporating NTN into its core standard, 5G-Advanced unlocks new commercial markets and helps fulfill the goal of a mobile ecosystem that provides connectivity worldwide.

8. Critical services

Support for critical services is a key aspect of 5G-Advanced because it provides the deterministic performance required by important sectors like manufacturing and healthcare. The 5G-Advanced standard significantly enhances ultra-reliable, low-latency communications to ensure guaranteed availability and minimal jitter for real-time applications such as autonomous industrial control. Furthermore, mature network slicing enables dedicated, high-priority virtual networks for public safety and emergency services, making wireless connectivity predictable and trustworthy for those mission-critical operations.

The road ahead: Release 19 and beyond

Looking ahead, 3GPP Release 19 is slated for a functional freeze in late 2025. It will serve as the crucial bridge to 6G, building on the Release 18 foundation with deeper integration of key enabling technologies. Major trends to watch here include the continued evolution of ISAC, which allows the network to function as a radar to perceive its environment, and further advancements in NTN that enhance direct-to-device satellite connectivity. These features will continue to push the boundaries of network intelligence, latency reduction for time-sensitive applications and the ability of the network to be a holistic service platform, ultimately setting the stage for 6G standardization in the latter half of the decade.

3GPP Release 20 is expected to see a functional freeze around late 2026 or early 2027, which will conclude standardization efforts for 5G-Advanced while fully enabling advanced features like deterministic networking and strong, AI-driven mobility. A key milestone during this period is the official start of the 6G standardization journey, with Release 20 primarily dedicated to study items for the new generation's core technologies. Release 21, expected to be completed around 2028 or 2029, will contain the specifications that define the full 6G system. That release is strategically timed for the International Telecommunication Union's target of mid-2030 to finalize the IMT-2030 recommendation that officially brands 6G.

However, commercial 5G-Advanced deployments will continue to grow throughout the decade, bridging the gap to the first anticipated commercial 6G rollouts around 2030.

Ron Westfall is vice president and practice leader for infrastructure and networking at HyperFRAME Research, where he covers topics such as hybrid cloud, AI, security, edge computing, wired and wireless networking, 5G and IoT.