SoftBank Tokyo Tests 5G-A, Latency Drops by 90%

Japanese operator SoftBank recently announced that it is collaborating with Ericsson and Qualcomm in Tokyo to test 5G-A advanced functionality. Before most global operators, SoftBank is following in the footsteps of T-Mobile in the United States and the three major operators in China, following the path of 5G Independent Networking (5G SA) and testing its first 5G Advanced features.

SoftBank and its suppliers conducted this 5G Advanced field trial on their commercial 5G SA network located in the capital. Similar to last year’s situation with T-Mobile, SoftBank’s 5G Advanced journey began with a feature test called L4S (low latency, low packet loss, scalable throughput).

L4S testing significantly improves video experience

Ericsson stated that “the test results showed a reduction of approximately 90% in wireless link latency compared to scenarios without the use of 5G and 5G Advanced technologies such as L4S. When SoftBank puts L4S into commercial applications in the future, it means that video calls made through 5G connections will be smoother and less laggy.”

Since 5G Advanced is essentially a software upgrade, once an operator upgrades their core network hardware to 5G SA, many other operators (although far from all) can relatively easily upgrade to 5G Advanced. As Ookla Chief Analyst Mike Dano has stated, this will lead to a wave of 5G-A upgrades this year. “I expect other operators in the United States and around the world to follow the same path,” he said.

Industry: There will be no upgrade frenzy

However, this does not mean that Dano believes there will be a “frenzy of upgrading 5G Advanced”, as operators are currently focused on profitability rather than just adding new services. It should be pointed out that the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has stated that although more than 340 operators have launched 5G networks, only over 120 have started investing in 5G SA, which is a necessary prerequisite for mobile network operators (MNOs) to upgrade to 5G Advanced.

However, those operators that are able to move towards 5G Advanced, such as T-Mobile in the United States, have begun providing enterprise applications and services through their nationwide 5G Advanced network. The industry expects that more 5G Advanced based enterprise services will emerge in 2026.