Device manufacturer OnePlus, in collaboration with India’s largest telecom operator, Reliance Jio, launched what they call “the first 5.5G devices in the Indian market” on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, during the OnePlus 13 Series Winter Launch Event. The company unveiled its flagship 13 Series smartphones, which include the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R. These devices are packed with “advanced AI capabilities designed to deliver a lighter, smoother, and smarter experience.”
James Paterson, Senior Global PR Manager at OnePlus, made the announcement during the event, which was streamed online.
“…more fantastic news for Indian users. OnePlus 13 series are the first devices to feature 5.5G in India. Thanks to our partnership with Jio. Cutting Edge 5.5G technology allows your OnePlus 13 series device to connect to three different network cells, possibly even on different Towers at the same time for faster connectivity and better overall performance. Now you’ll stay updated with a cricket score even faster,” Paterson said.
OnePlus Project Starlight
In December 2024, OnePlus announced Project Starlight for India. Under this initiative, the company committed to bringing 5.5G support to the Indian market with its OnePlus 13 Series, promising an average speed enhancement of 380 percent.
5.5G Speeds Showcased
During the launch, OnePlus demonstrated its 5.5G capabilities. Speeds of 277.78 Mbps downlink on Non-3CC (Component Carrier) Jio Network were compared to 5G-Advanced (5.5G) 3CC speeds of 1,014.86 Mbps downlink on Reliance Jio’s network. According to Jio’s website, True 5G users in India are already experiencing speeds of up to 1 Gbps, with services offered on a 5G Standalone Architecture.
“We’ve also worked hard to make sure our phone has the most stable network connection anywhere in India we tested making calls in underground car parks in lifts and in crowded Cricket grounds and the results were significantly better than our competitors,” Paterson added.
OnePlus presented comparative data showing that phone calls made in underground car parks are 22 percent more stable than on Pro Max devices and 30 percent more stable than on flagship Ultra devices. Similarly, WhatsApp calls in elevators are 20 percent more stable than on Pro Max and 47 percent more stable than on Ultra. WhatsApp calls during crowded cricket matches showed a 75 percent stability improvement over Pro Max and 66 percent over Ultra. However, the company noted that this data comes from its Test laboratory.
5G-Advanced or 5.5G
According to telecom gear vendors, 5.5G, also known as 5G-Advanced, is the natural evolution of 5G. It delivers higher speeds, lower latency, improved network reliability, broader connectivity, and built-in intelligence. Commercial 5G-Advanced deployment began with 3GPP Release 18, considered the first phase of 5G-Advanced. This standard builds on earlier releases (15, 16, and 17) and will evolve further through Release 21, expected by 2028, according to Ericsson.
Huawei highlights that 5.5G supports multi-carrier aggregation, delivering a 10-Gbps downlink rate, a 1-Gbps uplink rate, and a tenfold improvement in network capabilities. During MWC Barcelona 2024, Huawei proposed that 5.5G would accelerate digital and intelligent transformation across industries.
“In the first phase, TDD 3CC aggregation above 260 MHz is able to achieve a peak rate of at least 5 Gbps. This has enabled wireless networks to deliver a deterministic experience for people-connected services for the first time. In the second phase, a downlink peak rate of 10 Gbps can be achieved,” Huawei explained.
According to Nokia, 5G-Advanced will enhance network coverage, especially for uplink connections, which are often limited in time division duplexing (TDD) configurations that prioritize downlink traffic.
Global Operators Testing 5.5G
Globally, operators have begun testing 5.5G technologies. Earlier in January 2024, Zain Kuwait announced successful trials with speeds of 10 Gbps on its 5.5G network. In June 2024, Bulgarian operator Vivacom reported download speeds exceeding 10 Gbps and upload speeds over 1 Gbps during 5.5G lab tests. In August 2024, Ooredoo achieved network speeds of over 4.6 Gbps during trials in Oman.
In India, Bharti Airtel awarded a multi-year deal to Nokia in November 2024 to deploy 4G and 5G equipment in preparation for 5G-Advanced evolution.
The OnePlus 13 Series comes with AI features such as Intelligent Search, enabling users to locate local files using natural prompts, and AI-powered photography tools like Reflection Eraser. The company believes that ‘these meaningful AI upgrades will aid in better everyday functionality.’
Stay tuned to TelecomTalk as we bring you more updates on 5.5G developments from Indian telecom operators.
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