Today, China Mobile made headlines with the announcement of the commercial launch of 5G-Advanced, also known as 5.5G or 5GA. Excitingly, the first smartphones to support this enhanced networking standard are already on the horizon, as hinted by Pete Lau, serving as Oppo’s Chief Product Officer, who teased the Oppo Find X7 Ultra displaying “5GA” in its status bar.
Further fueling anticipation, a Weibo post suggests that the standard Oppo Find X7 Series may also receive an update enabling 5.5G connectivity. Notably, these models employ different chipsets – the Ultra utilizes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while the vanilla model features the Dimensity 9300. Consequently, the Find X7 duo marks the pioneering smartphones to embrace 5.5G technology.
Anticipated to expand rapidly, the number of compatible devices is projected to exceed 20 within a year. China Mobile aims to extend coverage of the new network to over 300 cities by year’s end, with the initial 100 including major metropolitan hubs like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Promising a substantial leap in performance, the 5G-Advanced network boasts speeds up to 300% faster, reaching impressive rates of 10Gbps down and 1Gbps up. To showcase its capabilities, China Mobile has already established demonstration areas nationwide for owners of Find X7 devices to experience firsthand.
However, it’s crucial to note that 5G-Advanced is essentially a marketing term for 3GPP Release 18. This release encompasses innovative features such as “non-terrestrial networks,” involving the use of satellites as network cells. Recent teasers hint at the potential development of an Oppo Find X7 Series equipped with satellite communication capabilities, potentially representing a distinct device rather than a mere firmware update for existing models, like the addition of 5.5G support for China Mobile’s network.
Published on 04/12/24 12:02 | by Rawa John