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Millimetre Wave Transmission the transformation of the mobile broadband network
Millimetre-wave bands (30 - 300 GHz) offer enormous into a programmable environment. It helps to satisfy the
amounts of under-utilised bandwidth, as well as more demanding requirements for the 5G era in terms of expected
spectrum for radio transmission than lower bands, and wider throughput, latency, scalability and automation. It also offers
channel bandwidth, with fibre-like capacity. As a source additional privacy and security and ensures significant cost
of largely untapped spectrum resource, millimetre wave savings.
technologies are expected to be a major enabler of future
mobile communications. In 2016, our ISG on MEC continued to develop its first release
of specifications. Release 1 will focus on the introduction
In 2016 our Industry Specification Group (ISG) on millimetre of the concept of MEC, describe use cases, identify an MEC
Wave Transmission (mWT) focused on licensing aspects, community and provide basic specifications. In March we
more innovative and holistic use of the spectrum (band and achieved a major milestone with the publication of three
carrier aggregation), standardisation of new bands above 90 new Group Specifications (GSs), providing a glossary of
GHz (W-band and D-band) and the co-existence of different terms, the technical requirements to enable interoperability
services in the V-band (57 - 66 GHz), with the aim of giving and deployment, and a framework and reference
operators the confidence to deploy in an interference-safe architecture to enable mobile-edge applications to run
environment. We also began work on the applications and efficiently and seamlessly in a mobile network.
use cases of Software Defined Networking as related to mWT.
We then began nine new studies related to MEC Application
In May, we organised a workshop on mWT in New Delhi, Programming Interfaces (APIs), management interfaces and
India. We also published a White Paper providing an essential platform functionality, and we made significant
overview of the semiconductor industry technologies progress with a study into MEC in a Network Functions
available for mWT. Virtualisation environment. Work continued on end-to-end
mobility.

Mobile-Edge Computing We produced a specification which describes various metrics
Mobile-Edge Computing (MEC) technology offers IT service (e.g. latency, energy efficiency) that can potentially be
improved by the use of MEC in both LTE-based and future
and Cloud computing capabilities at the edge of the mobile networks, and work continued on a GS specifying
mobile network, in an environment that is characterised MEC market requirements for multi-vendor eco-systems.
by proximity and ultra-low latency, and provides exposure
to real-time network and context information. It enables We continued to use Proofs of Concept (PoCs) to
operators to open their networks to authorised third parties, demonstrate the viability of MEC implementations, with the
allowing them to rapidly and easily deploy innovative results being channelled back into specification activities.
applications and services for use by mobile subscribers, By the end of 2016 there were eight approved MEC PoCs
enterprises and vertical markets, creating a new value chain. addressing different aspects of application.
However a standardised, open environment is needed to
allow the efficient and seamless integration of applications During the course of 2016, we extended the scope of our
across multi-vendor platforms. work on Edge Computing to include Wi-Fi and fixed access
technologies in addition to 3GPP access technologies.
MEC has been identified as a key enabler for the IoT and
mission-critical, vertical solutions and is helping to advance

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