Release 16 continued development on the features from release 15 and also came with new ones. It is the second standard that was dedicated to 5G technology and ended in 2020. The biggest improvements are in the areas of MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output), DSS (dynamics spectrum sharing), DC (dual connectivity), CA (carrier aggregation) and UE (user equipment). News includes IAB (Integrated access and backhaul), NR in unlicensed spectrum, location, functions for IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communications. [L1] [L5]

Energy saving

In release 16, several power saving features were introduced. For example, the new WUS (wakeup signal) can let the device know if a transmission is in progress, or allow it to stay in low power mode, skipping another DRX (discontinuous reception) monitoring period. Enhanced ultra-reliable, low-latency communication (eURLLC) Release 16 improves the 5G URLLC foundation to deliver even better connection reliability. For these use cases, simply increasing the retransmission will not be enough, as there is usually also strict latency. One of the key technologies to overcome this challenge is coordinated multi-point (CoMP). It uses multi-TRP to introduce redundant communication paths with spatial diversity, meaning that even if a path is temporarily blocked, communication is uninterrupted using the remaining paths.

MIMO

As with every 3GPP release, one area of work with a strong focus is MIMO, improving its performance and efficiency. Release 16 worked on several technical areas, including improvements to multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) to support higher ranks, support for multiple transmission and reception points, and better multi-beam management to improve link reliability. For all MIMO devices, release 16 also supports full uplink to improve cell edge coverage.

Unlicensed spectrum

Release 16 enabled NR operation in unlicensed spectrum in the 5 and 6 GHz bands, which are available worldwide. It supports SA operation, where no licensed spectrum is needed, but also licensed operation with assistance, where the operator helps to set up the connection. This greatly improves deployment flexibility compared to LTE. [L5]

ITS and V2X

ITS improves traffic safety, fuel consumption and pollution. ITS can also prevent traffic jams, help drivers to plan their trips more efficiently, choose between navigation routes and optimize the route. Communication is also necessary between vehicles, not just a vehicle and a certain infrastructure. Release 16 brings NR sidelink, which uses all frequency bands. It supports unicast, groupcast and broadcast communication and can use hybrid-ARQ (automatic repeat request). [L5]

IIoT
Prehľad TSN integrácie [L5]

Fig. L4 Overview of TSN integration [L5].

IIoT is one of the more significant topics in Release 16. Due to the increased interest in, for example, automation in factories and more uses in IIoT in general, this release added several improvements for latency and reliability. TSN (time-sensitive networking) was also introduced, which can ensure time-deterministic delivery of data packets. This includes system components such as precision time synchronization using the General Precision Timing Protocol (gPTP), mapping the TSN configuration to the 5G Quality of Service (QoS) framework for deterministic messaging and traffic shaping, and providing efficient transmission of Ethernet frames via header compression. [L5]