Uplink has always been the neglected child of mobile communications, but in the run-up to 5G launches, it has achieved rising prominence because of changes in the way cellular networks are used. Social media, video sharing and other data-intensive applications are heavy on uploading as internet behavior becomes increasingly interactive. These changes were reflected in the intensified focus on uplink performance and spectral efficiency in the 3GPP’s 5G standards, especially the 5G-Advanced releases (Releases 18, 19 and 20), which will find their way into commercially deployed networks between now and 2030. But operators and their suppliers are still racing to catch up with new internet usage patterns, and fill the gap with downlink performance in real-world terms rather than just…