- Verizon lauds the 5G SA core as the pathway to 6G
- The GSA has said that 73 operators have moved to commercial 5G SA so far
- The GSA said that a move to 5G SA will enable an OTA update to 6G
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS LAS VEGAS – Verizon is talking up the benefits of having a 5G standalone (5G SA) network, now that it has opened its 5G SA deployment to consumers.
Verizon — like AT&T — used the launch of Apple’s 5G smart watches, which utilize the 5G RedCap specification that can only be supported on a 5G SA network, to launch the 5G SA network to consumers. Like T-Mobile years before its rivals, Verizon and AT&T will have to wait for consumers to switch to new phones, or at least hit the standalone switch on their iOS or Android phones.
Beyond the benefits of 5G SA, such as lower network latency and network slicing, Verizon is looking ahead beyond even 5G-Advanced to 6G. As Fierce has said before, operators won’t be able to move to 6G without having a 5G SA core in place first.
Operators that are still running a 4G LTE core to manage calls and data on their 5G radios are out of luck if they want to start to move to 6G in the 2028 to 2030 timeframe. The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) said in April that 163 operators across 65 countries are investing in public 5G SA networks, with around 73 operators in 39 countries having launched their 5G SA networks. According to the GSA there are around 833 mobile operators in the world.
Verizon’s 5G SA view
Lauding the “common core” between 5G SA and 6G, Danny Johnson, Verizon’s AVP of IoT and managed connected platforms, said: “I really think the transition from 5G to 6G is going to be a bit more seamless for that reason."
Like other operators Fierce has spoken to, such as NTT DoCoMo, Verizon is not expecting a new core for 6G, as much as some cellular vendors might like that. Johnson noted that the cost of deploying an entire new core has somewhat stymied the growth of pure 5G. He is hoping that won’t be the case for 6G.
Tim Hatt, head of research at GSMA told Fierce at the show that 5G SA is precursor to 6G. This is because 5G SA will enable an over-the-air (OTA) software update to 6G, rather than having to physically replace the core.
“You’re essentially front-running some of the capex,” he said. “Because then you can have an OTA software update, rather than deploying all of the swap outs.”
This is all still to come. 6G won’t be launched commercially until 2030 but operators will need to start to prepare for it before that. So, standalone laggard operators will need to move to a 5G SA core in the next couple of years if they’re not to be left behind.