What Is 5G Advanced?

What IT Leaders Need to Know About the Next Era of 5G

For years, enterprises have been adapting to 5G. Now, the next evolution of wireless connectivity is taking shape: 5G Advanced.

Also known as 5G-Advanced or 5G-A, the technology builds on today’s 5G networks with improvements in speed, coverage, mobility, energy efficiency and support for emerging connected-device use cases. It also introduces a greater role for artificial intelligence and machine learning within the network itself.

For IT leaders, however, the bigger story isn’t simply faster connectivity. As networks become capable of supporting more devices, more data-intensive applications and increasingly complex enterprise use cases, the environments IT teams are responsible for managing are evolving with them.

So, what is 5G Advanced, how is it different from 5G, and what should enterprise IT teams know about it?

What Is 5G Advanced?

5G Advanced is the next major evolution of 5G technology. It was formally introduced through 3GPP Release 18, the first standards release designated as 5G-Advanced. 3GPP describes Release 18 as the next stage in the progression of 5G technology, adding capabilities beyond connectivity for a broader range of applications.

GSMA describes 5G-Advanced as the second phase of the 3GPP 5G standardization process, bringing performance improvements, better management and efficiency, and enhancements for specific use cases.

In practical terms, that includes improvements involving:

• Speed and uplink performance
• Coverage and mobility
• AI and machine learning
• Network energy efficiency
• IoT and Reduced Capability (RedCap) devices
• Extended reality (XR)
• Positioning
• Industrial and enterprise applications

This isn’t an entirely new network generation. Instead, it builds upon the foundation established by 5G.

How Is 5G Advanced Different From 5G?

One of the easiest misconceptions to make about 5G Advanced is that it’s simply faster 5G.

Speed is certainly part of the story. Nokia expects 5G-Advanced innovations to offer 20% higher data rates compared with 5G, while also addressing lower uplink latency and improving uplink coverage.

That matters as mobile connectivity becomes increasingly two-directional. Enterprise devices aren’t only consuming data. They’re uploading video, communicating with cloud applications, transmitting sensor information and supporting real-time collaboration.

But higher data rates represent only one piece of 5G Advanced. Release 18 work also encompasses areas including enhanced MIMO and coverage, AI/ML, network energy savings and continued development of RedCap technology.

1. Better Uplink Performance

Much of the way we traditionally think about mobile network performance centers on download speed. 5G Advanced puts additional emphasis on the uplink, or data traveling from a device back to the network.

That becomes increasingly important for applications such as high-quality video, cloud-based workflows and other environments in which enterprise devices continually transmit data. Nokia’s 5G-Advanced explainer points to enhanced coverage and MIMO performance designed to address growth in uplink-demanding applications.

2. AI and Machine Learning Move Into the Network

AI isn’t only creating new demands on enterprise technology infrastructure. It is also becoming part of how mobile networks operate.

3GPP Release 18 includes work involving AI and machine learning for the radio access network, alongside network energy savings and other optimization efforts. Nokia also describes AI/ML enhancements across the RAN, core and network-management layers.

For IT leaders already navigating rapid AI adoption inside their organizations, 5G Advanced represents another example of AI becoming embedded deeper within the underlying technology infrastructure.

3. More Support for Connected Devices

The evolution of 5G isn’t limited to smartphones. 5G Advanced continues the development of Reduced Capability, or RedCap, devices, designed to bring 5G connectivity to devices that don’t require the full capabilities or complexity of a traditional 5G smartphone.

Potential applications include industrial sensors, video surveillance, wearables, and other IoT use cases. For enterprises, this could mean an increasingly diverse mobile environment where phones and tablets coexist with sensors, wearables, cameras, industrial equipment and other connected endpoints.

4. More Precise Positioning

5G Advanced also expands positioning capabilities. Nokia describes enhanced positioning with sub-10-centimeter accuracy in certain scenarios, including potential applications in industrial automation, navigation, and logistics.

These improvements could support enterprise applications involving asset tracking, logistics, industrial automation and other use cases where accurately determining the location of devices or equipment is important.

5. Better Mobility and Coverage

5G Advanced is also designed to improve connectivity for devices while they’re moving. GSMA highlights smart-connectivity applications involving people moving at high speeds, including on trains and planes, alongside better performance and efficiency.

For enterprises managing distributed workforces, field operations and connected assets, improvements like these may ultimately prove more meaningful than headline download speeds.

Is 5G Advanced the Same as 6G?

No. 5G Advanced is still 5G. Rather than replacing 5G with an entirely new network generation, 5G Advanced represents its continued evolution. GSMA describes 5G-Advanced as an important bridge from 5G toward 6G.

That distinction matters for enterprises. 5G Advanced shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a reason to replace an organization’s existing mobile environment. It is better understood as an evolution IT teams should account for as they make longer-term decisions around devices, connectivity and mobility strategy.

For a look at how mobile networks got here, read From 3G to 5G and Beyond.

What Does 5G Advanced Mean for Enterprises?

This is where 5G Advanced becomes especially relevant to IT leaders. The technology is being developed to support a wider range of use cases, from IoT and extended reality to positioning, industrial applications and new connected-device categories.

But there’s another side to that opportunity. More capable connectivity can create a more complex environment to manage. As enterprises adopt new connected devices and applications, IT teams may find themselves responsible for:

• More mobile and IoT endpoints
• A wider range of device types
• Different connectivity requirements
• Increasing amounts of mobile data
• Multiple carriers, plans and services
• Device upgrades and lifecycle decisions
• Security and policy enforcement
• Tracking utilization and mobile spend

That’s why the arrival of better mobile technology doesn’t reduce the need for mobile device management and mobility expense management. It can make those disciplines more important.

5G Advanced Makes Mobility Management More Important, Not Less

The network may be getting smarter, but that doesn’t automatically make an enterprise’s mobile environment easier to manage.

Every new device still needs to be accounted for. Every cellular connection can carry a cost. Plans still need to match actual usage. Devices still need to be provisioned, supported, secured, upgraded and eventually retired.

And as the definition of a mobile device expands beyond smartphones and tablets, maintaining visibility across an enterprise’s mobile ecosystem can become increasingly difficult.

That’s where a fully managed mobility strategy becomes valuable.

5G Advanced may change what enterprise mobility can do. It doesn’t eliminate the need to manage it.

Should IT Teams Prepare for 5G Advanced Now?

Preparing for 5G Advanced doesn’t mean every enterprise needs to begin replacing devices. A better starting point is understanding the environment you already have.

IT leaders can begin by assessing their existing device inventory, carrier services, mobile plans, usage, costs and lifecycle policies. Organizations expecting significant growth in IoT, connected equipment, field technology or other mobile applications should also consider how those deployments could affect the size and complexity of their mobile environment.

The goal isn’t to chase the newest network technology. It’s to make sure your mobility strategy can evolve alongside it.

The Next Era of 5G Requires Visibility

5G Advanced represents another significant step in the evolution of enterprise connectivity. Through Release 18 and beyond, 5G is expanding to support better performance, greater efficiency, AI-enabled network capabilities and an increasingly diverse ecosystem of connected devices.

For IT leaders, the opportunity is significant. But so is the responsibility to maintain visibility and control as enterprise mobility grows.

IntraTEM helps organizations manage their mobile environments across major carriers, providing the visibility, oversight and human support IT teams need to control devices, services and spend.

As connectivity becomes more advanced, the strategy for managing it needs to advance too.

5G Advanced FAQ

Sources: 3GPP Release 18 | GSMA 5G-Advanced | Nokia 5G-Advanced Explained