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International Development of 5G

Characteristics of
5G Services

The International Telecommunication Union ("ITU"), a specialised agency responsible for issues concerning information and communications technologies under the United Nations, has defined three key usage scenarios for IMT-2020 or the fifth generation (5G) mobile services as set out below based on their characteristics:

eMBB

eMBB

enhanced Mobile Broadband

Supporting very high data download speed up to 20 Gbps*

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mMTC

mMTC

massive Machine Type Communications

Supporting communication of up to 1 million machine-type devices within 1 km2

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URLLC

URLLC

Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications

Supporting mission critical applications and low latency communications with delay as low as 1 ms

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* Note: The ITU has set the targeted download speed for eMBB under ideal circumstances at 20 Gbps. However, the actual data download speed will be affected by various factors (including but not limited to the number of subscribers, user devices, network coverage, frequency bands and amount of spectrum used, network settings, quality of radio transmission and network traffic).

Global Allocation of 5G Spectrum

The ITU has already designated a number of frequency bands below 6 GHz (including the frequency bands currently used for the provision of 2G/3G/4G services in Hong Kong) for public mobile services. These frequency bands can be re-farmed for the deployment of 5G services.

At the World Radiocommunication Conferences held in 2019 and 2023, the ITU has decided the following global allocation of 5G spectrum in frequency bands above 6 GHz:

  • 6.425 – 7.125 GHz (some of the spectrum would be assigned to 5G services in Hong Kong)*
  • 24.25 - 27.5 GHz (some of the spectrum assigned to 5G services in Hong Kong)
  • 37.0 - 43.5 GHz
  • 66.0 – 71.0 GHz

Note:
(*) The majority of countries worldwide would support the allocation of the 6.425 – 7.125 GHz band, or parts thereof, for 5G services and beyond.

5G Standardisation

The Third Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP")

  • An industry-led international standardisation organisation which specialises in the development and implementation of the technical standards of global 3G, 4G and 5G mobile communication systems.
  • It undertakes to develop new 5G international standards based on ITU’s defined requirements.
  • Members of 3GPP include standardisation bodies of Europe, Japan, Mainland China, Korea, India and North America.

3GPP has already issued Release 15, Release 16 and Release 17 of the 5G standards. According to 3GPP’s work plan, formulation of Release 18 is in the pipeline. The major features of the respective releases of 5G standards are as follows:

  • Release 15 covers predominantly eMBB. The standards for network were completed in June 2018.
  • Release 16 is a set of standards covering all the three key usage scenarios. The full set of standards was completed in July 2020.
  • Release 17 covers enhancements for all the three key usage scenarios. The full set of standards was completed in June 2022.
  • Release 18 covers further enhancements to eMBB and non-eMBB with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies as well as evolved network topology. It is planned to be completed in June 2024.

Supply of
Equipment and Devices

Different kinds of 5G mobile devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, notebook computers and portable wireless routers) are now commercially available in the market. In addition, special wearable smart devices or products supporting a variety of 5G applications such as 5G-based AR glasses and helmet camera with 5G connection capability have also emerged in the market.

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