The World Broadband Association (WBBA) has released Technical Recommendations for networking evolution in the 5.5G era, aiming to meet the rising demand for ubiquitous 10 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) access across businesses, campuses, and homes.
Network 5.5G (Net5.5G) outlines the next-generation data communication network infrastructure for evolution in the 5.5G and Artificial Intelligence (AI) computing era. Building a future-proof digital IP transport foundation to ensure secure operations, reduced construction costs, and enhanced network efficiency is central to the Net5.5G framework.
“Developments in AI computing applications and the metaverse have raised expectations of service agility and immersive experience assurance in business and consumer markets, and the networks currently in use are struggling to cope,” said Co-Author Tayeb Ben Meriem, Vice Chair of IPv6 Forum, and WBBA Working Group Co-Chair. “IP transport networks must now be upgraded to support the increasing requirements from homes, business enterprises and mobile sites, and these will be driven by emerging applications.”
Net5.5G represents an evolution of current 5G mobile network technologies, delivering downlink speeds of 10Gbps and uplink speeds of 1Gbps. Users can establish their own IoT networks within their residences, with smartphones and other connected devices functioning as gateways.
For telecommunications companies, Net5.5G offers enhanced monitoring and analytics capabilities, while service providers can deliver managed services for smart homes. Data centre operators also stand to benefit, as the additional bandwidth supports larger AI training models for business purposes.
“From now through 2030 and beyond, remote-sensing technologies, remote AI applications and supercomputing will be the main drivers for ubiquitous 10Gbps ultra-broadband deployments,” said Co-Author ZhongHua Chen, Senior Engineer and Project Manager at China Telecom, and WBBA Working Group Chair. “To support these scenarios, we need networks that can ensure high bandwidth and low latency, while being managed by intelligent end-to-end digital maps.”
Net5.5G will facilitate further industry digitalisation and key AI applications, providing an excellent customer experience for services requiring high-speed, high-quality communication, supporting new trends such as Wi-Fi 7 and computing-aware networks.
“Every service provider, government body, regulator, and vendor, should collaborate to tap into the value of Net5.5G-enabled cloud-network convergence,” said Co-Author Sameer Malik, Senior Principal Analyst, Service Provider Routing and Switching Networks at Omdia. “By driving the evolution of future services and technologies, we can then open up the opportunity to discuss the idea of Net6G and overcome the demands of the future.”
The Technical Recommendations, titled ‘Network Evolution for the 5.5G and 6G Era’, were published for the first time during BDC Shanghai 2024 and are available on the WBBA’s website.
There’s plenty of other editorial on our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Or you can always join in the conversation by commenting below or visiting our LinkedIn page.
