All-in-One Nomadic 5G New telecommunication solutions for rapid response in disaster zones and beyond

In the wake of the recent earthquake in Sichuan’s Luding County, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, ZTE joined with China Mobile (Sichuan) to dispatch a set of All-in-One Nomadic 5G solution to the disaster area. Just one hour after their arrival, the 4G/5G networks were set up to restore access to voice, SMS and data service. By providing 4G/5G multi-frequency band and multi-mode dimensional capacity via mature integrated RF antenna equipment, the nomadic 5G played a critical role in enabling communication for relief workers and displaced residents.

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Based on its many years of experience in large scale public 5G deployment, ZTE’s All-in-One Nomadic 5G is fully mobile and able to be flexibly deployed, organically combining 5G nomadic base stations , the industry's smallest 5G Core Network(5GC) and multiple backhaul methods into an oven sized box. As the smallest carrier-grade 5G private solution in industry, the technology was designed for optimal ease of setup and use, able to be used in all weather conditions, and provides excellent latency and 4G/5G coverage as well as local real-time cloud computing. This is the first time ZTE’s All-in-One Nomadic 5G has been applied to a mobile emergency rescue scenario.

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Industry’s smallest 5GC

In disaster relief situations, the All-in-One Nomadic 5G can be connected to the local emergency command center through an innovative edge computing model, allowing a large volume of images, videos, and audio to be transmitted from the disaster area, even under adverse conditions including flooding, earthquakes, typhoons and mudslides, effectively solving the network communication for emergency and disaster relief workers under the public network communication. Beyond disaster relief, the All-in-One Nomadic 5G are also optimal deployment solutions, with explosion-proof, for challenging scenarios of various sectors, such as mining, smart construction and other vertical industries. With all required 5G functions defined by 3GPP, this solution supports IoT data collection, video surveillance and voice/SMS communication, allowing for an uninterrupted connection in unstable environments, even in extreme cases such as backhaul disconnection.

This solution is also highly suited to use in the entertainment industry. In September 2022, Mango TV adopted ZTE's All-in-One Nomadic 5G as CampSite solution to provide a temporary private 5G network to enhance the process of filming. Requiring only a nomadic 5G base station to be set up near the production and broadcast venue, 4K cameras in the venue connected to the private 5G through an external low latency encoder and 5G terminal. The high speed audio and video data streams generated by the cameras are identified by the edge arithmetic engine after up-linking to the edge computing and shunted to the live production system for video monitoring, editing, and storage by the director and other staff. In terms of performance, the convenient private 5G network supports network delay within 20 ms with the powerful local streaming function of the arithmetic engine, and the transmission delay of the whole system is only 80 ms; because of the 1D3U large uplink frame structure, the maximum uplink rate of the private network can reach about 636 Mbps, and the average rate is stable above 550 Mbps; it fully meets high-bandwidth video and audio intensive access needs. The HD video stream can theoretically access more than 100 channels steadily, with access to more than 25 channels steadily having been verified through operation.

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Peak and average rates of private 5G for "CALL ME BY FIRE" Season 2

All-in-One Nomadic 5G can also be applied to e-sports, where competitions often have ultimate network requirements, especially sensitive to network latency. By deploying All-in-One Nomadic 5G, wireless capacity can be effectively expanded, while connecting local servers through local shunt modules, greatly reducing network latency and safeguarding the low latency requirements of competitive games in e-sports competitions. In addition, during competitions, the local private network can provide the audience with a diversified viewing experience. For example, the large screen in the arena can broadcast the competition in real-time HD multi-view, while the audience themselves can freely choose the viewpoint and freely combine the player's images through their own devices such as smartphones in the private network to enjoy an enhanced experience. This multi-view, immersive viewing mode takes viewers one step closer to a fully immersive metaverse experience.

Today, 5G is beginning a new and more advanced stage of development, as technologies cross boundaries to form innovative solutions. Traditional 5G network will soon develop the capacity to be integrated with new technologies such as cloud computing, AI, digital twins, blockchain, and cloud computing, creating intelligent 5G network on demand.

What’s next? The current version of All-in-One nomadic 5G is based on ground deployment to expand and backup PLMNs (Public Land Mobile Network). Future generations of nomadic 5G will be able to be equipped with advanced antenna and power supply designs, allowing them to be installed on airborne vehicles. This could very well be a game-changer for the field, allowing for high-altitude platforms (HAPs) including unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) including lighter-than-air UAS (LTA) and heavier-than-air UAS (HTA), all operating in altitudes typically between 8 and 50 km, quasi-stationary. This dramatically new method of deployment would significantly improve both the speed and applicable geographic range of nomadic 5G, a crucial factor for emergency situations.

Looking even further into the future, we can see the potential for expansion to spaceborne vehicles, including satellites (including low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites, medium earth orbiting (MEO) satellites, geostationary earth orbiting (GEO) satellites as well as highly elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellites. With cooperation between telecoms and aerospace enterprises, such spaceborne deployment may eventually become a common usage. August 2022, ZTE together with China Mobile Research Institute has showcased world’s first 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) field trial which direct connection between mobile phones using a GEO satellite.

With 5G available in the air or even in outer space, we would advance one step closer to realizing non-terrestrial networks (NTN), widely regarded as a key feature of the coming 6G. As geographical limitations are removed, we will be presented with the ability to provide mobile connection, for almost any location in the world. The possibilities of such advances carry incredible potential, for emergency services and much more.

At ZTE, we are committed to exploring the horizons of today’s technology and stretching the limits of innovation to make this exciting future a reality.

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Jason Tu, Principal Scientist of NFV/SDN, ZTE

This content is sponsored by ZTE.