Radio Enhancements in Release 16–18

Following the 5G introduction in Release 15, there have been several improvements to boost the 5G radio performance. This chapter addresses the improvements for coverage, MIMO operation, UE power saving, as well as improvements with dual connectivity and carrier aggregation. Further, the steps in mobility improvements are addressed along with artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) for the air interface and integrated access and backhaul. The evolution of 5G multiple input multiple output (MIMO) operation has continued intensively after the Release 15 which enabled scalable and flexible MIMO framework, and MIMO support on Sub‐6 GHz as well as with mmW frequencies. Release 15 included the support of mobility based on the UE layer 3 measurement. The use of AI/ML was considered for both air interface as well as for NG‐RAN operation. The 5G–5G dual connectivity support was included in the so‐called “late drop” on Release 15, but that requires the synchronous operation for dual connectivity.