Rel-18 (5G-Advanced) vision and scope: the bridge to 6G

The 5G-Advanced Concept

3GPP Release 18, branded as 5G-Advanced, was frozen in 2024 and represents the evolutionary midpoint between initial 5G and future 6G systems. The release introduces three transformative technology pillars: AI/ML integration into the air interface for intelligent radio resource management, duplex evolution through subband full duplex to improve spectral efficiency, and comprehensive network energy saving mechanisms addressing operator sustainability goals. 5G-Advanced also enhances existing features — XR-aware scheduling for immersive media, further MIMO evolution with up to 8Tx codebook…