5G Advanced lays the groundwork for 6G, says 5G Americas
AI-native networking and IoT growth push 5G-Advanced towards next-gen connectivity.
5G Americas has released a new white paper outlining how 5G Advanced features in 3GPP Releases 18 to 20 are shaping the path to 6G.
The report highlights how 5G Advanced is evolving mobile networks through embedded AI, scaled IoT, improved energy efficiency, and broader service capabilities. Viet Nguyen, President of 5G Americas, called it a turning point for wireless systems, offering more intelligent, resilient, and sustainable connectivity.
AI-native networking is a key innovation which brings machine learning into the radio and core network. The innovation enables zero-touch automation, predictive maintenance, and self-organising systems, cutting fault detection by 90% and reducing false alarms by 70%.
Energy efficiency is another core benefit. Features like cell sleep modes and antenna switching can reduce energy use by up to 56%. Ambient IoT also advances, enabling battery-less devices for industrial and consumer use in energy-constrained environments.
Latency improvements like L4S and enhanced QoS allow scalable support for immersive XR and real-time automation. Advances in spectral efficiency and satellite support are boosting uplink speeds above 500 Mbps and expanding coverage to remote areas.
Andrea Brambilla of Nokia noted that 5G Advanced supports digital twins, private networks, and AI-driven transformation. Pei Hou of T-Mobile said it builds on 5G Standalone to prepare for a sustainable shift to 6G.
The paper urges updated policies on AI governance, spectrum sharing, and IoT standards to ensure global interoperability. Strategic takeaways include AI, automation, and energy savings as key to long-term innovation and monetisation across the public and private sectors.
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