5G Device Availability

March 13, 2020

The new GSA ‘5G Device Ecosystem Report’ documents the availability of a range of 5G phones, access points, laptops, tablets, TVs, modules, modems and indoor/outdoor customer premises equipment (CPE). There is even a vending machine on the list – one which relies on 5G connectivity to process high-definition facial recognition data when processing payments.

The spike in the number of new equipment announcements - a 25% rise in the total number of 5G devices in February - is attributable to the MWC2020 Barcelona trade show, which would have been held at the end of the month, but was cancelled this year as a part of the fight to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another report by the GSA – ‘LTE & 5G Market Status’, also recorded the buoyancy of 5G uptake; listing 63 operators in 35 countries that have so far launched 3GPP compliant 5G services.

Changing 3GPP to help the verticals

February 25, 2020

Our latest video, recorded at TSG#86 in Sitges, December 2019, brings together:

• Joachim Walewski, Siemens
• Roland Beutler, EBU
• Nicolas Chuberre, Thales Alenia Space
• Georg Mayer, 3GPP SA Chair.

They discuss the reasons why their sector is in 3GPP and how they feel it is going. There are some frank views on the difficulties encountered and the frustrations that still persist, but there are also some clues on how new verticals don't have to start from scratch and how the project is making attempts to learn from the experience of adapting to the needs of the verticals.

Farewell to a friend

February 20, 2020 (updated Feb. 25)

Ian Doig passed away on Wednesday 19th February, after a short illness.

He will be missed. When he retired at the end of 2019, everyone who visits the ETSI offices might still have expected to occasionally hear his laugh on the forecourt and to be able to pass the time of day with him. Now, we won’t have that.

Ian’s dedication to the work was legendary. From the days as the ETSI link man to Project Team 12 experts and the ETSI Technical Officer supporting TC SMG, to his career as a 3GPP and ETSI delegate on behalf of Motorola and then Blackberry – Ian was on top of things, always leading from the back row of the meeting room, his favoured seat.