ZTE, AIS, and MediaTek Push 5G-A Boundaries with Next-Gen UE Aggregation Demo

In a bold step towards redefining mobile connectivity, ZTE Corporation, in partnership with Thailand’s AIS and MediaTek, has successfully demonstrated a groundbreaking 5G-A (5G Advanced) UE Aggregation technology at the A-Z Innovation Center in Bangkok. The live showcase highlights how next-gen networks will overcome the limitations of individual devices and unlock new possibilities for immersive, data-hungry applications.

As the demand for XR (Extended Reality), 4K live streaming, and metaverse experiences surges, conventional mobile devices are hitting hard limits in terms of power, spectrum, and uplink capacity. UE Aggregation presents a smart, scalable solution — allowing nearby user devices to collaborate by sharing unused resources.

How UE Aggregation Works

UE Aggregation merges three layers of cooperation between devices:

• Power Aggregation: Relay UEs boost uplink connectivity by forwarding signals for devices at the network edge.
• Bandwidth Aggregation: Spare spectrum from Relay UEs is pooled to increase throughput for Remote UEs.
• Channel Aggregation: Devices set up multiple independent links, enabling multi-path transmission for improved reliability and reduced latency.

In practical terms, the demo simulated real-world 5G scenarios where Remote and Relay UEs worked together on AIS’s commercial 5G network infrastructure powered by ZTE’s 5G gNodeB and core network, and MediaTek’s prototype terminals equipped with UE Aggregation features.

Impressive Performance Gains

The results spoke for themselves:

• Uplink speeds for edge users tripled with aggregation enabled.
• Without it, 4K live video streams struggled with stutters and dropped frames.
• With aggregation active, stable, high-quality 4K streaming was easily maintained, with consistent performance and no noticeable frame loss.

The Road Ahead for 5G-A and Beyond

The technology isn’t just a concept — it’s already part of the official 3GPP Release 18 specifications and is set to evolve further in Releases 19 and 20. Upcoming enhancements will introduce multi-path routing, multi-relay architectures, cross-DU/CU coordination, and AI-driven, low-latency path optimization. These advances will pave the way for industrial IoT, connected vehicles (V2X), and immersive XR services on a massive scale.

ZTE, AIS, and MediaTek’s successful trial marks a significant milestone in 5G-A’s real-world deployment potential, proving that the future of mobile connectivity lies in intelligent, collaborative networks.

Quick Overview: What Is 5G and 5G-A?

• 5G (Fifth Generation) is the latest mobile network standard, offering faster speeds, ultra-low latency, and higher device density compared to 4G.
• It enables emerging applications like real-time cloud gaming, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and XR (Extended Reality).
• 5G-A (5G Advanced) is the next evolutionary phase, defined by 3GPP Release 18 and beyond, focusing on (Enhanced AI-native network management, better uplink performance for data-intensive apps like 4K/8K streaming and XR, support for multi-path communication and device collaboration «like UE Aggregation»)

Smarter, low-latency, energy-efficient networks for industrial and IoT use cases

In short: 5G-A transforms mobile connectivity from high-speed downloads to intelligent, adaptive, and collaborative experiences — a major leap toward 6G.