2024 Top Ten Technological Trends in the Telecommunications Industry Released

At the 2023 Telecommunications Industry Conference and the 18th Annual Communication Technology Conference, Xin Pengjun, the Chief Editor of the "Telecommunications Industry Report," officially announced the "2024 Top Ten Technological Trends in the Telecommunications Industry," based on the integration of insights from 13 experts across the industry chain, compiled by the editorial research team of the "Telecommunications Industry Report."

**[5G-A]** R18 Standard Frozen, 5G-A Begins Commercialization Era
The important 3GPP 5G standard, R18 version, will be frozen in the first quarter of 2024. As the first-generation technical standard of 5G-A, the R18 standard freeze will accelerate the maturity and deployment of 5G-A applications. Compared to 5G, 5G-A technology features a tenfold increase in network capacity, comprehensive support for ubiquitous IoT, millisecond-level latency, and centimeter-level high-precision positioning. This provides industries with more reliable connectivity and intrinsic intelligence, unlocking the full potential of networks. Currently, 5G-A has achieved significant milestones globally in terms of clear standard rhythms, key technological breakthroughs, and panoramic views of IoT. It is expected that multiple operators worldwide will launch 5G-A commercial services in 2024. The industry chain will also innovate continuously through capabilities such as broadband, multi-frequency, multi-antenna, intelligence, and green technology, jointly ushering in the commercialization era of 5G-A.

**[6G]** Clear Technological Directions, Key Technologies Converging, 6G Vision Approaching
With ITU-R specifying applications, overall objectives, and key capability indicators for IMT-2030, 6G research has entered a substantive stage. As the next-generation network, 6G will achieve breakthroughs in immersive communication, sensor fusion, AI communication integration, hyper-connectivity, universal connectivity, ultra-reliability, and low latency. It will connect intelligence, support the fusion of digital and physical worlds, and realize multi-element information services in a new network. In 2024, network-embedded AI will be a core feature of future 6G mobile systems, enhancing optimization through AI technology from end to end, providing AI business services and applications to end users. Meanwhile, fusion of perception and communication will be a crucial focus of 6G technology development in 2024. Through "dual-use network," it will fully utilize the advantages of mobile communication networks in terms of scale and performance, efficiently promoting ubiquitous intelligence connection, and achieving the overall vision of "ubiquitous intelligence connection, digital twins."

**[Data Elements]** Deepening Data Infrastructure Construction, Innovative Development of Data Technologies Entering Active Phase
As a new production factor, the development and utilization of data elements have attracted significant attention and are the basic objects of various digital technologies. With the deepening of national top-level design for the development and utilization of data elements by the National Data Bureau and the definition of data infrastructure architecture and functions, various technologies targeting data elements will accelerate development and data infrastructure construction. Currently, network infrastructures such as 5G, high-speed fiber optics, IPv6, next-generation Internet, and satellite Internet provide high-speed ubiquitous connectivity for data. Technologies such as cloud computing, edge computing, distributed computing, big data processing, AI analytics, and green technology provide efficient and agile data processing capabilities for participants. Emerging technologies such as data space, privacy computing, blockchain, data desensitization, and data sandbox address critical bottlenecks in data circulation. However, current critical bottleneck technologies suffer from a lack of standards and insufficient validation in large-scale applications, leading to the formation of new data islands centered on different vendor technologies. Therefore, standard construction of data circulation infrastructure and key technologies such as data rights/authorization, data space, and data security surrounding data circulation infrastructure will become hotspots of technology, promoting the development and utilization of data elements.

**[Computing Power Network]** Routing of Computing Power "Strengthening by Network," Differentiated Service of Data Express "Expanding Intelligence"
With the development of AIGC and large models, the demand for intelligent computing power has grown rapidly. Enhancing network-based high-quality interconnection and heterogeneous computing service capabilities has become a new requirement for computing power networks. Computing power routing introduces computing factors into the routing system, normalizing the perception and measurement of computing resource information based on the network, further achieving joint routing of network and computing, meeting the needs of new business, and optimizing global network resources. Data express maximizes the efficiency of data wide-area transmission, solving the problem of increasing data circulation caused by diversified ubiquitous computing needs of data production, processing, and usage ends. As a technology concept originally proposed in China, computing power routing realizes "strengthening by network" and data express expands the boundary of computing power flow, promoting the intelligentization of computing power networks.

**[Optical Network]** 400G Momentum, 50G PON Commercial Use, Terabit All-Optical Backbone Accelerates Construction
Following the construction of 400G all-optical transport networks and experimental networks in Guangdong, Shanghai, Shandong, and other places, G.654.E optical fiber cables and 400G OTN equipment collection procurement have also been completed recently. The construction of the 400G all-optical provincial backbone network is about to start, accelerating the comprehensive commercial landing of the 400G system. At the same time, Shanghai has achieved full deployment coverage of 50G-PON full-optical terabit cities, leading the world in achieving terabit cities. 50G-PON is the next-generation PON technology defined by ITU-T, supporting ubiquitous terabit all-optical access and being one of the main evolutionary directions of dual terabit all-optical city construction. Currently, including the three major operators in China, many global operators have completed 50G PON technology verification, and more than 30 have released 50G PON templates. It is expected that some operators will deploy 50G PON in various commercial scenarios starting from 2024. With the construction of the 400G provincial backbone network and the commercial landing of 50G PON, the information and communication industry will accelerate the construction of the terabit all-optical backbone, promoting high-quality development of the digital economy.

**[AI]** Large Models from "Capable" to "Usable," AI Accelerates Penetration of Communication Domain
Large models, as deep neural network models built on massive data training, have emerged with human-like intelligence due to their huge data foundation and deep training generation, accelerating AI into the era of general intelligence. After experiencing the "Hundred Model Battle" in 2023, large models continue to advance in quality data management, computing power resource support, training efficiency improvement, algorithm model iteration, and service generation, accelerating from "capable" to "usable." At the same time, generative AI surpasses "CHAT" type language interaction, accelerating from text to images, from audio to video, and opening up comprehensive application space. Generative AI outbreaks, with higher demands on computing network resources, accelerate the development of technologies such as data management, scheduling arrangement, training efficiency, and intelligent computing centers. While supporting AI popularization, information and communication technology reshapes itself in AI process, AI will accelerate the penetration of the entire chain of information and communication industries, deeply involved in operation management, technical research and development, product design, restructuring business models, service forms, and supply capabilities. Generative AI, with its huge technology and cost requirements for computing power resources, data resources, knowledge accumulation, and algorithm construction, will enable leading communication enterprises to return to AI main venues, including operators and equipment manufacturers.

**[Satellite Communications]** Compatible with 5G, Fusion with 6G, Satellite-to-Ground Fusion Accelerates Evolution
Direct satellite services for mobile phones, based on characteristics such as large user scale and high industry chain reuse, are important application scenarios for satellite Internet. Low-orbit satellites have obvious advantages in capacity, speed, latency, etc., and are important development directions for future direct satellite services for mobile phones. 5G-NTN enhances 5G ground cellular network and terminal protocol capacity and empowerment to meet satellite communication requirements and maintain compatibility with 5G ground cellular communication standards. 5G NTN supports independent networking of satellite communication networks or joint networking with ground cellular communication systems to achieve satellite-to-ground fusion communication. In 2024, satellite-to-ground fusion will promote deeper integration of ground and aerial communication network architecture, standard protocols, experimental equipment, etc., accelerating the expansion of direct satellite services for mobile phones and promoting more satellite service models. For 6G satellite-to-ground fusion research and development to deepen, promote "compatible with 5G, fusion with 6G" satellite-to-ground fusion to build a seamless global satellite-to-ground fusion network.

**[Digital-Physical Fusion]** Digital-Physical Fusion Deepens, Hybrid Metaverse Becomes a New Paradigm for Scene Innovation
With the launch of the Five Departments' Three-Year Action Plan for Metaverse Industry Innovation and Development, metaverse development has entered a new stage. Digital-physical fusion, from consumer domains to production domains, and from production integration to research and development integration, is undergoing multidimensional progress in standards, technical generation, and terminal coordination. Entering the Internet 3.0 era, digital-physical fusion provides great space for innovation in hybrid metaverse, allowing Hybrid-Metaverse, a hybrid metaverse composed of application software on the cloud network side and front-end terminal side, to greatly reduce the cost of computing, intelligence, and storage required by the cloud universe, and realize the three-dimensional deep coupling of information and communication access layer, live interactive aggregation layer, and MaaS distribution layer, creating a new experience with physical space as the core, digital space enabling and digital
 space as the core, physical space support. Hybrid metaverse will become a new paradigm of development value in metaverse stage, becoming a key technological innovation direction of communication industry in family domain.

**[Digital Life]** AI "Deep" Digital Life, FTTR Innovation Helps Upgrade Smart Homes
With the deepening application of 5G and gigabit optical network, double gigabit accelerates the promotion of smart home applications. Since the release of the double gigabit action plan, the number of gigabit users has exceeded 150 million, and F5-A promotes the vigorous development of gigabit full-gigabit homes, providing super gigabit services for more than 10 million broadband users, accelerating smart homes, digital life services, and promoting intelligent home market continue to rise. In 2024, with the increasing demand of generative AI applications for terminal network and the deeper penetration of edge AI, FTTR will face new technical iteration and scale application deployment, fully play FTTR scheme technical advantages, build AI era family full-gigabit base, comprehensively improve the application experience of smart home services, will become digital life, intelligent family development trend. Based on advanced operating systems, FTTR, combined with Wi-Fi 7, Star Flash and other innovative technologies, provides various smart home applications with better experience and faster development cycle, promoting the realization and improvement of various fields such as digital family, intelligent audio-visual, family storage, family security, entertainment intelligence control, elderly care, etc., and becoming an important technology innovation direction for communication industry in family domain.

**[New Industrialization]** Cross-Domain Multi-Technology Promotes New Quality Productivity, Communication Accelerates New Industrialization
New industrialization is an important engine for promoting Chinese modernization. The new generation of information and communication technologies such as 5G-A, high-speed optical communication, deterministic network provides key infrastructure for the construction and development of new industrialization, providing high-speed and reliable connections for industry. Digital simulation, digital twin technology, etc., provide technical support for digital-physical fusion, promoting the construction of industrial digitalization scenarios. Artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum communication, data technology, etc., empower the formation of new quality productivity in modern industry. The information and communication industry fully utilizes the amplification effect of multi-technology overlay to build key technologies, network core, fusion applications, and security management to support new industrialization. Accelerate the promotion of new industrialization.

 

Edit by : CaiLi Telecom

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