US multinational corporation and technology colossus Intel has announced that it is hopeful that it will be in a position to deploy 5G services before 2020. Intel has declared that its 5G Mobile Trial Platform will begin to support standalone new radio (NR) standard when it becomes available later this year. A spokesman for the US conglomerate also claimed it was an 'industry first'.
In an official statement released by Intel, the tech firm which is headquartered in California said that the new technology it has developed will enable it to join other network operators in relation to testing the next-generation technology in what it describes as 'real world' situations.
The statement read, "We'll join with operators to take non-standalone NR out of the lab and begin testing it in real world situations. This heightened pace of development means we'll be able to help the industry meet ambitious targets to deploy commercial 5G services before 2020."
Asha Keddy, who is General Manager of next-generation and standards at Intel, stated that much like LTE was for 4G, 5G NR is the wireless radio standard that will serve as the foundation of 5G. The standardization of the non-standalone NR standards is reportedly set to be finalized in December, in an attempt to accelerate commercial 5G trials and deployments.
However, it has been touted that the final standalone 5G NR will not be expected until the end of 2018. Intel's GM of next-generation and standards heralded the progress made by the company, and claimed it represented a hugely progressive step towards the commercial deployment of 5G services.
Intel's 5G Mobile Trial platform will enable manufacturers to test interoperability with devices sooner, which subsequently allows operators to take the platform into real world situations much earlier.
Since announcing its 5G Mobile Trial Platform in 2016, Intel has engaged in collaborations with companies including Ericsson and Nokia, and participated in trials with operators such as AT&T, Korea Telecom, NTT Docomo and Verizon.
