An Overview of 5G Advanced Evolution in 3GPP Release 18

TL;DR

This paper overviews 3GPP Release 18, the first 5G Advanced release, highlighting its integration of AI/ML to enhance performance and enable new use cases, signaling a paradigm shift in wireless networks.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the 5G Advanced evolution in Release 18, emphasizing its novel use of AI/ML for network improvements.

Findings

Introduction of AI/ML in 5G networks

Significant performance enhancements expected

Enabling new use cases in wireless communication

Abstract

The 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) radio access network (RAN) plenary recently approved a work package for its Release 18, representing a major evolution and branded as the first release of 5G Advanced. The work package includes diverse study or work items that will significantly boost 5G performance and address a wide variety of new use cases. In particular, 3GPP Release 18 will embrace artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to provide data-driven, intelligent network solutions. This article provides an overview of the 5G Advanced evolution in 3GPP Release 18, which is anticipated to trigger a paradigm shift and have a profound impact on future wireless networks.