Robert Triggs/Android Authority
long story short
- China’s state-owned telecom operator China Mobile announced the launch of its 5.5G network.
- 5.5G (or 5G Advanced) networks offer higher data speeds than current 5G networks.
- According to reports, OPPO’s 2024 flagship Find X7 series mobile phones will be the first to support 5GA networks.
While we wait for widespread, reliable 5G connectivity, China is leaping ahead with next-generation wireless technology. Today, China Mobile announced the commercial launch of its 5.5G (also known as 5G-Advanced or 5GA) network. It looks like we may already have the first Android phones to take advantage of it.
First to report GSM ArenaOPPO chief product officer Liu Zuohu shared a trailer of the Find X7 Ultra mobile phone network status showing “5GA”. A Weibo post also confirmed this and further claimed that the standard Find X7 will also get 5.5G capabilities. This will make the Find X7 series the world’s first mobile phone to support 5.5G networks.
China Mobile plans to cover more than 300 cities with its 5.5G network by the end of the year. They have set up demonstration zones across the country to allow Find X7 users to experience the speed improvements firsthand.
But wait – what exactly is 5.5G?
5.5G is the name of the 5G Advanced (5GA) network, which is the 5G standard but with significantly enhanced speeds. 5G-Advanced offers a huge speed boost, with the potential for downlink speeds of up to 10Gbps and uplink speeds of 1Gbps.
Tech-savvy readers may remember similar advances in 4G. 4G networks were first launched around 2010, and a few years later, a more advanced version of 4G networks (called 4G-Advanced or 4G LTE) was released with improved network speeds and latency.
While 5G has found its way into our smartphones, it has yet to fully meet industry demands for ultra-fast uploads, near-zero latency, ultra-tight security, reliable performance and low power consumption. 5.5G aims to change this status quo and become an important bridge to the 6G future by improving the existing advantages of 5G.
Is 5.5G coming to the United States soon?
Like the Find X7 Ultra itself, U.S. consumers are unlikely to have access to 5.5G networks anytime soon. However, a few months ago, AT&T President Chris Sambar expressed excitement about the 5.5G network that would precede 6G. Although commercial 5GA may not arrive in the United States until around 2025, discussions have already begun.
The good news is that the Find X7 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is also present on other 2024 Android flagships, such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12. Therefore, in theory, these phones should be compatible with 5GA networks when using them. They finally came to America.