The days of waiting 12 to 18 months for a silicon chip to test the latest set of specifications are long gone. Today’s talented researchers and engineers are in fast prototype mode. The foundation for much of their trials and development is the Intel® 5G Mobile Trial Platform (MTP). I’m pleased to announce today that our Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform will begin to support the new non-standalone NR standard when available in the fourth quarter of this year for live tests and trials. It’s an industry first.
When the non-standalone NR specification is finalized, Intel will be ready to quickly begin work with the leading telecommunications equipment manufacturers (TEMs) to make sure the radio access network and the device side successfully operate within the initial NR standard. We’ll also 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.
