Orange, Nokia and MediaTek achieve 5G SA interoperability success

In Vigo, Spain, cellular operator Orange, in cooperation with Nokia and MediaTek, have completed a 5G standalone data call in a real-world environment.

The setup consisted of a Nokia end-to-end network solution, including 5G access and a fully virtualized 5G network core in a Nokia data center, and a MediaTek 5G user device, all conforming to Release 15 of the 3GPP standard.

The test achieved an ultra-low latency of just 7ms. This near-immediate response will enable use cases with real-time response requirements, such as autonomous vehicles or remote surgery.

This demonstration marks a new milestone towards the roll-out of 5G services in Europe. The implementation on commercial equipment of the 5G Future X architecture, defined by Nokia Bell Labs, is the first portfolio of an end-to-end 5G solution that includes all layers of the network.

By using a virtualized 5G network core in a 5G SA environment, different network layers (network slicing) can be dedicated to different business use cases – whether focused on extreme bandwidth such as business or residential (FWA), smartphone and mobile applications, or ultra-low latency in proposed new-use cases like remote services such as industrial control or healthcare, and autonomous vehicles. With aspiration to bring its comprehensive modem technologies to a wide range of product verticals, MediaTek’s 5G modem technologies - such as the Dimensity series SoC's - support both existing 5G NSA and 5G SA architecture networking, ensuring a seamless transition for users when services migrate.