A stroll through the MWC23

With more than 80,000 attendees and without anyone wearing a mask, the MWC re-emerges as one of the most important technology events in the world. Last week we were lucky enough to be able to walk the halls of the Mobile World Congress, and we want to tell you about the news that has caught our attention the most.

Regarding the Network, Open RAN is one of the most relevant initiatives, with which telecommunications operators plan to achieve much more sustainable equipment due to its low consumption and at a more competitive cost, which facilitates the deployment of 5G. These new, much more open equipment allows the integration of processing cards from different manufacturers, different operating systems, and IF radio and control (RU/CU) functionalities as independent sw modules. This enables a very promising market for private 5G networks, in which devices the size of a home router and based on Arduino or Raspberry Pi platforms can contain a complete 5G network to which only authorized users will have access. It is estimated that 30% of radio deployments will be Open RAN by 2030.

On the other hand, continuing with the opening of the network, within the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, the operators will allow third parties to use network capabilities. Developers will have an extended package of federated APIs within Azure, AWS or Google, with which to access network functionalities, regardless of the telecommunications operator.

Regarding bandwidth improvements, 5G Advanced or 5G+ will be able to achieve download speeds of 10Gbps and upload speeds of 1Gbps (like 10x of 5G), as well as indoor positioning with centimeter precision, the technology could be available from of 2,024. Another thing is when it will be deployed by the operators.

Combinations of aerial (with drones) and satellite networks are also use cases that will make it easier to provide coverage in case of disasters and cover rural areas without having to change the technology of the terminals

Regarding the devices, their capabilities have evolved, highlighting the improvement in photographic capabilities (night images, adapters for quality photographic lenses, etc.) and the imminent irruption of flexible screens, both foldable and roll-up on mobile phones and laptops. The devices become more versatile and adapt to the needs of use of the moment.

Immersive experiences allow you to create your avatar or hologram to integrate it into games or applications, without the need to use virtual reality glasses. These technologies, in addition to requiring equipment with a multitude of 4K cameras, require high bandwidth and processing, as well as minimal latency. These applications may become a reality thanks to future 5G deployments (5G SA and 5GAdvanced).

AI was present as an indispensable companion in all new technologies, specialized AI chips for immersive experiences, openAI for virtual assistants, OREX as an initiative to apply AI to the performance of OpenRAN systems, use of information captured by radio and fibre antennas to detect unconnected elements.

Lastly, IoT for the control and improvement of agriculture, fire detection, mobility safety for scooters or bicycles or the evolution of Rfid tags to Passive IoT that will reduce the cost and increase the scope for automatic inventories, are some of the applications that we will see in the next years.

In short, we continue to evolve technologically at a dizzying pace, towards more open and intelligent networks, and with unimaginable use cases that will revolutionize our way of life. Fortunately or unfortunately, all sectors without exception will have to get out of their comfort zone to adapt if they want to remain competitive in this global and connected world.