Spreadtrum Chu Qing explains 3 questions about 5G

The arrival of 5G will bring earth-shaking changes to people's lives. The huge charm of the Internet of Everything has made some countries crazy about it, and they are rushing to determine the winner at the starting line.

This year is defined as the first year of 5G. Although some mobile phone manufacturers have launched 5G mobile phones, people still know very little about 5G due to the imperfect supporting equipment such as base stations.

At the 2nd Global IC Entrepreneur Conference and the 17th China International Semiconductor Expo, Chu Qing, CEO of Unigroup Spreadtrum, an expert in the fields of communications and semiconductors, answered several questions in the industry about 5G in a speech.

Is 5G finally here?

 "Is 5G really coming? Maybe it will take some time to enjoy 5G services."

Chu Qing said that all the 5G networks that people can see now have a professional name - commercial test network. Its goal is commercial use, and its technical level is also commercial use, but it is still a "test network". The most important thing in mobile communications is the frequency. If there is no wireless signal, the so-called mobile communication does not exist.

Chu Qing emphasized: "Services can only be provided if there is a network. Once the frequency band is changed, it will have a profound impact on the new network layout, including network planning, how cells should be laid out, and how frequency bands should be divided. There will be huge differences."

Chu Qing said that solving these problems is not only theoretical, but also requires several rounds of continuous optimization, reorganization and adjustment of the network in practice, such as adjusting the network model, so that it can eventually become a valuable network that serves humanity.

Chu Qing further pointed out that 5G, like all other knowledge, must go through a process, and because 5G's goals are more challenging, this process is entirely possible to be longer. However, due to the world's enthusiastic anticipation for this new technology, the 5G network may mature faster than other previous knowledge.

Is it difficult to tell whether 5G is real or fake?

"Whether 5G is real or fake is like two monkey kings in a painting, both have similar abilities. But if they really have the same abilities, then there is no real or fake distinction. We don't judge the real or fake, we look at some facts."

The first fact Chu Qing mentioned was the speed increase brought by 5G. "From luxury to simplicity, from simplicity to luxury is difficult," Chu Qing said. If you get used to the 7-10 times faster network speed brought by 5G, it will be painful to go back to using the slower network speed. This is a motivation for 5G.

The second fact is the increase in access density. Chu Qing took a large hotel as an example. 5G can provide 1 million access points for such an area, but this hotel cannot accommodate 1 million people. These access points are not all provided for humans, but for "things". Therefore, the increase in access points is the foundation for the future intelligent society, especially intelligent manufacturing.

The third fact is the much-discussed “low latency”. Chu Qing replaced this word with “real time”. Real-time provides the foundation for building the entire future intelligent society. The so-called real-time is a promised delay. Even if the promise is five seconds, if all actions can be guaranteed to be completed within five seconds, it can also be called real-time. However, if it is only said that the speed is five milliseconds faster, it is difficult to guarantee that it is within five milliseconds every time. About 5% of them are beyond five milliseconds. Such a system cannot be called a five-millisecond real-time system. Chu Qing said that only with such a strict commitment at the bottom layer can the entire intelligent society be built.

Regarding the core network, Chu Qing said that it is a data exchange center. This system can basically be upgraded seamlessly. If there is an upgrade in the future, it will only be a purely flexible upgrade. These four characteristics are the basic characteristics of the future network.

Looking at the other Monkey King, Chu Qing believes that this Monkey King is just faster, and his ability is far inferior to the previous Monkey King. "Which one is real and which one is fake? We won't give a conclusion. This is a complicated matter. As technicians, we only give some facts."

5G’s “enemies and friends”?

“Wi-Fi and 5G are a pair of lovers who love and hate each other; AI and 5G complement each other and are indispensable.”

Chu Qing said that the partnership between Wi-Fi and 5G began a long time ago. It brought two major wireless communication systems invented by humans. One is PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network). What people usually call 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G are all PLMN; the other is WLL (Wireless Local Loop).

At the beginning, the two systems were complementary. According to Chu Qing, Wi-Fi appeared in the 2G era, when 2G data communication capabilities were very poor. As soon as Wi-Fi came out, it brought a transmission rate of 500K.

In the 3G era, LTE and Wi-Fi coexisted peacefully. The two companies developed separately but also cooperated. At that time, almost every high-end mobile phone had Wi-Fi support.

The smoke of war rose when 4G was introduced, and 4G itself underwent a revolutionary change. After the mobile IP was connected, all previous fixed networks and all applications could be used directly, and the 4G era ushered in the prosperity of smartphones.

"With 5G, this problem has changed, and the cruel question is who will win." Chu Qing further pointed out that since AP base stations that can provide services by plugging anywhere in the 5G era have been put on the agenda, there is basically no difference between Wi-Fi 6 and 5G, and they both have quite complex architectures.

Regarding 5G and AI, Chu Qing pointed out: "5G is the most ambitious network connection plan in human history. It aims to allow even 'stones' to access the Internet. AI is the most ambitious technological revolution in human history, and this time it is to revolutionize itself."

Chu Qing emphasized that in the future technological wave, 5G and AI complement each other and are indispensable, and are the key to the era of intelligent interconnection. "5G without AI is an empty ship, and AI without 5G is a stranded ship."

Chu Qing said that based on the inseparable relationship between 5G and AI, Unisoc launched the Tiger T710 and Ivy 510 to the world. These two chips are the perfect combination of AI and 5G, and this combination will make human wishes better.

"What is opened to mankind is always a Pandora's box. We don't know what will be released from it, maybe an angel, maybe a devil, but mankind will always move forward, and technological progress will never stop." Chu Qing said finally.