Rima Qureshi, EVP and CSO at Verizon (pictured), promised the US giant would pull the trigger on 5G-Advanced very soon after standards were ratified by the 3GPP, while insisting the technology will pave the way towards network slicing.

During the opening keynote of Mobile World Live’s new digital Unwrapped event, Qureshi said network slicing would be possible with 5G-Advanced, enabling a “very coordinated ecosystem approach” to truly thrive.

“We are starting to have those discussions with the GSMA and other operators, and the overall ecosystem to look at how we are going to enable the slicing capabilities that 5G-Advanced and 5G enables,” she said.

Gradual deployment

As well as network slicing, there will be a focus on coverage, and additional support for IoT devices and AI solutions with 5G-Advanced.

For coverage, Qureshi said Verizon was looking forward to boosting its fixed wireless access (FWA) play, covering more of the rural areas of the US.

With 3GPP expected to pave the way for 5G-Advanced when it ratifies standards for Release-18 in late 2023 or early 2024, Qureshi said Verizon would be fast out of the gate with its launch, following testing on the hardware and software side to ensure the technology met its network quality standards.

However, she added it would be a gradual deployment with a series of advancements. “We look at where there is a demand for specific features and functionalities and we deploy according to that,” she added.