Chinese Version中文版：世界移动通信大会的 6 大亮点
Mobile World Congress isn’t only about mobile phones, it’s all about the internet and the technologies that continue to enable the mobile revolution. It was my first time at MWC and these six things just blew me away.
A number of exhibitors were making noise around Narrow-Band IOT (NBIOT), a radio technology for Embedded devices that focus on indoor coverage, low cost, low power and the ability to support a large number of devices. It can be deployed in the GSM and LTE spectrum and will transmit data at a rate of hundreds of bits, or a few kilobits, per second.
NBIOT borrows off the 3GPP network, so will benefit from the same security protocols such as link locking and encryption. It can use reconfigured existing hardware that is already deployed, the only thing it needs is a software update. The fact it is part of a licensable spectrum and can be controlled for interference means operators can guarantee a certain quality of service, which boosts reliability.
A lot of embedded and IoT work has been looking at connectivity through WiFi or bluetooth radio, essentially local area networks that exist predominantly in the home. That creates limitations for smart cities and places outside of these networks, which is where the thinking for NBIOT came about.
One of the advantages is that it has better reach than GSM, so for example T Mobile demonstrated a car park with sensors underneath the asphalt that could still communicate and send alerts where a space is free. The combination of this and self-parking cars could be the first step to being able to exit your car outside your destination and trust it can find its own parking space nearby.
The oft-hidden part of the mobile experience was on display at the show, with plenty of chatter around next generation mobile networks and 5G being mentioned a lot. ARM’s David Maidment laid out the steps that need to be followed in the whitepaper “The Route to 5G”. From the large network equipment manufacturers like Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia presenting their vision of the near future, to carriers such as Vodafone and Telefónica talking about the possible services that 5G will enable, it seems the new standard can’t come soon enough. There is much more to it than just utilizing the latest hardware, and implementing a software stack on top of it. On the ARM booth were two demonstrations of innovative thinking that are giving network providers more to think about when selecting their equipment for the next generation, which I'll go into in detail in a later blog. ARM has just released a new real-time processor, the ARM Cortex-R8, which will be instrumental in delivering next generation connectivity to mobile devices. Find out more in: “A Potential Look Inside the 5G Modem Baseband”
2016 is the year when virtual reality is making the transition from breathless anticipation to real, commercial product. HTC launched their Vive VR headset as an alternative to the ARM Mali-based Samsung Gear VR headset, a collaboration from Samsung Mobile and Oculus. While the Vive was powered by a desktop when I tried it, the Gear has the advantage of linking in with the Samsung Galaxy phones, making it more portable. Mark Zuckerberg contributed to the excitement by backing Samsung Gear VR as the best mobile virtual reality headset, due to its price competitiveness and OLED display. He also declared VR as the future of sharing, and announced that Facebook is experimenting with dynamic streaming for its 360 videos in the hope of quadrupling the video resolution while cutting the bandwidth needed to stream it. The ARM booth had a Samsung Gear VR showing off the Mali Ice Cave demo, which you can learn more about in Virtual Reality: The Ice Cave . The demos were mostly around gaming but the potential for VR is huge, with possible applications for construction, professional training, art and live political and sporting events or concerts. On a personal level, it still takes a bit of getting used to seeing rows of people “plugged” into computing like this. Matrix blue pill anyone?
Security has been a recurring theme throughout the entire electronics industry over the past 18 months or more. As everything is becoming more connected, the realisation has dawned that every part of the network needs to be secure from hacking. In his keynote on Tuesday explaining the need for Internet of Things security, ARM’s CEO simonsegars pointed out that over one billion health records were stolen in 2014. The time is now for embedding security in the IoT ecosystem, which needs to be robust enough to fend off attacks and easy to use so that people will follow the security guidelines. As you can see in the graphic below, a multi-layered approach to security across all network stakeholders is the best way to avoid attacks. ARM’s Beetle test chip is a proof of concept of how to deliver a secure foundation for IoT endpoints, which you can find out more about here: ARM enables IOT with Beetle Platform
There has been a spate of announcements this week, with many devices launched aimed at the top end of the smartphone market, such as the Samsung Galaxy S7, ZTE Blade S7, Xiaomi Mi5, and LG G5. It’s noticeable that device manufacturers are focusing on unique features to stand out from the competition and be the killer app. For example, Samsung’s Galaxy S7 (powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890 depending on the market) features a dual pixel sensor which should dramatically improve the quality of photos taken in low light situations. For me the standout was the LG G5 (powered by the Snapdragon 820), which had the whole exhibition talking with its modular features. The ability to remove and add custom modules like a camera shutter, extra battery or HiFi speaker allows users to have a degree of customized ownership according to their own needs.
The other surprise for me was the sheer amount of companies promoting their smartphones. There were a large number of (for me) previously unknown companies with devices targeting a price point around €200, running Android Marshmallow with ARM-based 4G processors. While it may not grab the headlines, the mid-range tier of the market is a rich hive of competition, also evidenced by last week's announcement by Samsung that they will launch an SoC specifically for that market, the Exynos 7 Octa 7870.
The first thing to comment about Mobile World Congress is that it’s absolutely massive. While I had been told about the size of the show beforehand, spread across 9 exhibition halls as well as conference halls and keynote sessions, I still wasn’t prepared for the sheer size of it all. The event is expected to see more than 94,000 visitors pass through over the 4 days of the show, and they will be treated to a barrage of bright lights, loud music and brand new technology. MWC is where the technology industry makes world headlines, and it shows. Just make sure to bring some comfortable shoes if you plan to check out all of the exhibition halls.
Did you attend MWC? Let me know what your impressions were of the show or if you have any opinion on the above by leaving a comment