Displaying items by tag: Massive MIMO

Vodafone has achieved the first 5G data connection in Italy. The 5G trials were conducted by Vodafone in partnership with Huawei, which made available a radio base station using Massive MIMO technology.

It’s part of trials in Milan promoted by the Ministry for Economic Development. Vodafone, which was selected to conduct 5G trials in the Milan metropolitan area, used frequencies in the 3.7-3.8 GHz portion of spectrum made available by the Ministry.

The 5G data connection was achieved using an antenna located at the Vodafone Village in Milan, marking the start of the planned network rollout.

The success of the 5G trial represents a major step forward. This was a real live test demonstrating use of 5G Prototype equipment that already meets the current 3GPP standard, including Massive MIMO technology, which increases both capacity and coverage.

During the test, it was possible to appreciate the performance of the 5G network, reaching download speeds of more than 2.7 Gigabits per second, with a latency of just over a millisecond.

Ericsson and SmarTone, the leading mobile network operator in Hong Kong, are trialing FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) Massive MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technology as part of the operator’s network evolution plan towards 5G.

The trial, involving FDD Massive MIMO on 1800 MHz, represents the first of its kind for operators in Hong Kong. It is proving the capabilities of this key technology ahead of the live deployment in 2018 of AIR 3246, Ericsson’s new radio that can support Massive MIMO over 4G/LTE with Ericsson’s 5G Massive MIMO Plug-In.

“We are working closely with SmarTone to develop, trial, and deploy key 5G technologies that will further enhance the user experience,” said Nishant Batra, Head of Product Area Network Infrastructure, Ericsson. “The recent LAA field trial, and now the trial of FDD Massive MIMO, enables us to jointly shape the next-generation network technology.”

Massive MIMO is a key technology that bridges network evolution from 4G to 5G, adding intelligent capacity and boosting user experience. Massive MIMO on FDD yields a multi-fold increase of network capacity and increase user throughput by up to five times, boosting performance for end users.

“Our extension of the strategic partnership with Ericsson in October last year includes a five-year network evolution plan towards 5G,” said Stephen Chau, Chief Technology Officer of SmarTone. “This trial represents a significant milestone in our collaboration, and reinforces SmarTone’s leadership in the network evolution journey.

Chau added, “Ericsson’s FDD Massive MIMO solution will play an instrumental part in providing our customers in dense urban environments with enhanced user experiences they have come to expect from SmarTone.”

Ericsson has recently launched its first radio, AIR 3246, supporting FDD Massive MIMO for both 4G and 5G. The technology enables operators – especially in metropolitan areas – to bring 5G to subscribers using today’s mid-band spectrum and boost capacity in their LTE networks.

Ericsson and SmarTone, the leading mobile network operator in Hong Kong, are trialing FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) Massive MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technology as part of the operator’s network evolution plan towards 5G.

The trial, involving FDD Massive MIMO on 1800 MHz, represents the first of its kind for operators in Hong Kong. It is proving the capabilities of this key technology ahead of the live deployment in 2018 of AIR 3246, Ericsson’s new radio that can support Massive MIMO over 4G/LTE with Ericsson’s 5G Massive MIMO Plug-In.

“We are working closely with SmarTone to develop, trial, and deploy key 5G technologies that will further enhance the user experience,” said Nishant Batra, Head of Product Area Network Infrastructure, Ericsson. “The recent LAA field trial, and now the trial of FDD Massive MIMO, enables us to jointly shape the next-generation network technology.”

Massive MIMO is a key technology that bridges network evolution from 4G to 5G, adding intelligent capacity and boosting user experience. Massive MIMO on FDD yields a multi-fold increase of network capacity and increase user throughput by up to five times, boosting performance for end users.

“Our extension of the strategic partnership with Ericsson in October last year includes a five-year network evolution plan towards 5G,” said Stephen Chau, Chief Technology Officer of SmarTone. “This trial represents a significant milestone in our collaboration, and reinforces SmarTone’s leadership in the network evolution journey.

Chau added, “Ericsson’s FDD Massive MIMO solution will play an instrumental part in providing our customers in dense urban environments with enhanced user experiences they have come to expect from SmarTone.”

Ericsson has recently launched its first radio, AIR 3246, supporting FDD Massive MIMO for both 4G and 5G. The technology enables operators – especially in metropolitan areas – to bring 5G to subscribers using today’s mid-band spectrum and boost capacity in their LTE networks.

Ericsson has extended its 20-year strategic partnership with Entel, the largest telecommunications company in Chile. Under the terms of the new contract, Ericsson will prepare Entel’s network in the evolution path towards 5G by deploying its latest LTE FDD network technologies and LTE TDD Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output).

This will allow Entel to increase its competitiveness and capture additional revenue streams. Entel will be the first operator in Latin America to deploy Massive MIMO nationwide.

Massive MIMO is a wireless technology that uses multiple transmitters and receivers to transfer more data at the same time. Multi-antenna transmission is playing a critical role in the evolution of 4G and 5G networks.

Entel will also evolve the Radio Network Controllers and EVO controllers across the network, including remote locations such as Easter Island, and upgrade the transport network with the introduction of Ericsson’s microwave solutions, a section of which now tap into E-band spectrum to cater for capacity increases in backhaul and fronthaul.

“With mobile traffic volumes expected to increase exponentially through 2020 and beyond, operators around the world are bolstering their existing networks to deliver higher speeds and lower latency to their subscribers,” said Arun Bansal, Senior Vice President and Head of Market Area Europe and Latin America, Ericsson.

“We write a new chapter in the history of our strategic partnership with Entel by evolving their network to Gigabit LTE and paving the way to 5G and beyond, cementing their leadership position among operators in the Latin American region,” Bansal added.

Within the agreement, Ericsson will also deliver several strategic core network projects intended to upgrade Entel’s voice and data networks to the latest generation in order to provide new end-user services, enable increased broadband capacity and higher data speeds, enhanced voice quality, optimized latency, and reduced network operation costs.

“Entel has a long-standing partnership with Ericsson that is based on a history of excellence in product and service delivery,” said Alfredo Parot, Vice President of Technologies and Operations, Entel.

“Now, as we evolve our network to capture the new business opportunities of Gigabit LTE and the evolution towards 5G and IoT, we naturally extend this partnership with Ericsson in these areas,” Parot added. “Our subscribers and enterprise customers will enjoy the benefits of a very high performance network in the region for years to come.”  

Among the projects is a fully virtualized network service (VNS) for Voice over LTE (VoLTE) including virtual IP Multimedia Subsystem (vIMS), virtual Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) for VoLTE. vIMS is a core network solution that delivers rich real-time communication services for both consumer and business users over any access network and for any device types, including smartphones, tablets, wearables and laptops.

Supported communication services include HD voice (VoLTE), Wi-Fi calling and video calling. The NFV infrastructure solution including Hyperscale Datacenter solution 8000, Ericsson Cloud Execution Environment (ECEE) and Ericsson Cloud Manager (ECM) will be deployed. The ECM and Ericsson Network Manager (ENM) will help orchestrate rollout of Entel’s nationwide VoLTE service.

Additionally, Ericsson introduces its Adaptive Network Inventory solution (EAI) which will become an integral part of Entel’s Digital Transformation project. Deployment of the core network projects begins immediately and will be completed in different phases throughout 2018 and 2019.

Ericsson has extended its 20-year strategic partnership with Entel, the largest telecommunications company in Chile. Under the terms of the new contract, Ericsson will prepare Entel’s network in the evolution path towards 5G by deploying its latest LTE FDD network technologies and LTE TDD Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output).

This will allow Entel to increase its competitiveness and capture additional revenue streams. Entel will be the first operator in Latin America to deploy Massive MIMO nationwide.

Massive MIMO is a wireless technology that uses multiple transmitters and receivers to transfer more data at the same time. Multi-antenna transmission is playing a critical role in the evolution of 4G and 5G networks.

Entel will also evolve the Radio Network Controllers and EVO controllers across the network, including remote locations such as Easter Island, and upgrade the transport network with the introduction of Ericsson’s microwave solutions, a section of which now tap into E-band spectrum to cater for capacity increases in backhaul and fronthaul.

“With mobile traffic volumes expected to increase exponentially through 2020 and beyond, operators around the world are bolstering their existing networks to deliver higher speeds and lower latency to their subscribers,” said Arun Bansal, Senior Vice President and Head of Market Area Europe and Latin America, Ericsson.

“We write a new chapter in the history of our strategic partnership with Entel by evolving their network to Gigabit LTE and paving the way to 5G and beyond, cementing their leadership position among operators in the Latin American region,” Bansal added.

Within the agreement, Ericsson will also deliver several strategic core network projects intended to upgrade Entel’s voice and data networks to the latest generation in order to provide new end-user services, enable increased broadband capacity and higher data speeds, enhanced voice quality, optimized latency, and reduced network operation costs.

“Entel has a long-standing partnership with Ericsson that is based on a history of excellence in product and service delivery,” said Alfredo Parot, Vice President of Technologies and Operations, Entel.

“Now, as we evolve our network to capture the new business opportunities of Gigabit LTE and the evolution towards 5G and IoT, we naturally extend this partnership with Ericsson in these areas,” Parot added. “Our subscribers and enterprise customers will enjoy the benefits of a very high performance network in the region for years to come.”  

Among the projects is a fully virtualized network service (VNS) for Voice over LTE (VoLTE) including virtual IP Multimedia Subsystem (vIMS), virtual Evolved Packet Core (vEPC) for VoLTE. vIMS is a core network solution that delivers rich real-time communication services for both consumer and business users over any access network and for any device types, including smartphones, tablets, wearables and laptops.

Supported communication services include HD voice (VoLTE), Wi-Fi calling and video calling. The NFV infrastructure solution including Hyperscale Datacenter solution 8000, Ericsson Cloud Execution Environment (ECEE) and Ericsson Cloud Manager (ECM) will be deployed. The ECM and Ericsson Network Manager (ENM) will help orchestrate rollout of Entel’s nationwide VoLTE service.

Additionally, Ericsson introduces its Adaptive Network Inventory solution (EAI) which will become an integral part of Entel’s Digital Transformation project. Deployment of the core network projects begins immediately and will be completed in different phases throughout 2018 and 2019.

US telecom giant Verizon and Ericsson reached another milestone in 4G LTE Advanced Technologies that will also serve as a stepping stone to 5G technology by completing their first deployment of FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) Massive MIMO (Multiple Input – Multiple Output) on Verizon’s wireless network in Irvine, CA.  

This deployment will improve both spectral and energy efficiency, increasing network capacity for current devices in the market.  Further significant enhancements are expected to come as new devices evolve toward 5G.  For customers, the result will be higher and more consistent speeds for using apps and uploading and downloading files.

“While continuing to drive 5G development, the deployment of Massive MIMO offers very tangible benefits for our customers today.  As we innovate, we learn and continue to lay the groundwork and set the standards for 5G technology,” said Nicola Palmer, Chief Network Officer of Verizon Wireless.  “Our collaboration with Ericsson on this new deployment continues to drive industry-wide innovation and advancements.”

The Massive MIMO deployment involves 16 transceiver radio units driving an array of 96 antenna elements supplied by Ericsson.  The deployment is running on a 20 MHz block of AWS spectrum.  Four way transmit has been widely deployed throughout the Verizon network and has contributed to significant 4G LTE advancements. 

In Massive MIMO - the next step of antenna array evolution - the high number of transmitters enables more possible signal paths.  It also enables beamforming, which directs the beam from the cell site directly to where the customer is, dramatically cutting down on interference. Reduced interference results in higher and more consistent speeds for customers. 

Niklas Heuveldop, Head of Market Area North America at Ericsson, said, “Massive MIMO is a key technology enabler for 5G, but already today, 4G LTE service providers and end users can benefit from the superior capacity and network performance this technology enables. The current trial is an important step in the collaboration we have with Verizon to prepare their network for 5G.”

As part of an Intelligent Edge Network that processes data where it’s generated, this Massive MIMO deployment is another step in technological innovation and leadership. As Verizon begins deploying Massive MIMO in the future throughout the network in places where there are capacity needs, customers with compatible devices will automatically begin taking advantage of this technological advancement.

US Cellular, the fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, and Ericsson, have completed a joint testing of various 5G use cases at 28GHz. The tests, a significant step toward the launch of a 5G network, were conducted in rural and suburban environments in Madison, Wisconsin.

The trials were conducted under a variety of real-world conditions, and they achieved peak throughput speed of 8.5Gbps. In addition, virtual reality was tested, achieving peak speeds of 4Gbps. This virtual reality test was one of the highlights of the trial, as it proved how the ultra-high speeds and low latency of 5G will enable VR applications.

The companies also tested augmented reality, advanced beamforming and Massive MIMO. The live over-the-air trials expanded on 5G trials between the two companies in 2016 that achieved 9 Gbps at 15GHz.

“This was an important trial for us to understand the propagation characteristics and path loss at 28Ghz, and we are pleased with our learnings,” said Michael S. Irizarry, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, US Cellular. “Our customers deserve to have a network that keeps up with their lifestyle, so we are constantly working to ensure that they will always have access to the latest technology and data speeds available.”

According to the most recent Ericsson Mobility Report, approximately 25 percent of all subscriptions will be 5G in North America in 2022, representing the highest market penetration in the world.

“5G activities continue to accelerate across North America as all operators prepare for deployments. US Cellular is aggressively testing 5G to determine how to best leverage the new capabilities for its customers,” said Niklas Heuveldop, Head of Market Area North America, Ericsson. “Working with US Cellular on this series of 5G trials has been greatly beneficial for Ericsson as we continue to explore innovative applications that 5G networks will enable.”

At the 2017 Global Antenna Technology & Industry Forum recently held in Munich, Huawei partnered with Telefónica Deutschland to launch the world's first 5G-oriented antenna deployment solution. During the evolution to 5G, this solution can resolve the challenge of insufficient antenna installation space for the deployment of both high-band 4T4R over Sub 3 GHz and Massive MIMO.

"Based on many years of technical accumulation in wireless networks and an in-depth understanding of MBB network, Huawei cooperates with Telefónica Deutschland to release the world's first 5G-oriented antenna deployment solution,” said Mr. Joyee Zhang, President of Huawei Wireless Network Antenna Business Unit. “This innovative solution can help operators to overcome the obstacles of 5G network deployment and potentially further help to achieve new business success.”

Insufficient antenna installation space has emerged as an evident issue of network deployment during the evolution from 4G to 4.5G/5G. As 700 MHz, 1400 MHz and other new spectrums are distributed, full bands 4T4R has emerged as a mainstream configuration. Simple overlay can hardly meet deployment requirements.

Additionally, operators are expected to reserve antenna installation space for Massive MIMO to implement a smooth evolution. As a result, a single antenna that integrates all Sub 3 GHz bands and reserves space for Massive MIMO is set to be a typical antenna solution for 5G.

Huawei and Telefónica Deutschland jointly released a 5G-oriented antenna deployment solution, which incorporates both a 14-port multi-band antenna and a TDD 3.5 GHz Massive MIMO antenna to meet Telefónica's requirements for an easy network evolution towards 5G.

Mr. Jaime Lluch, Radio Access Network Director in Telefónica Deutschland indicated that, "Telefónica is a top global telecom operator committed to deliver an optimal network experience. We believe that during the future-oriented network evolution of MBB, antenna installation space severely hinders the progress of network deployment. Telefónica Deutschland and Huawei's 5G-oriented antenna deployment solution can address the challenge of insufficient space, while ensuring excellent network performance and capacity.”

At Mobile World Congress Americas, US telecom provider Sprint and Ericsson unveiled the results of the first US 2.5GHz Massive MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) field tests conducted in Seattle, Washington and Plano, Texas using Sprint’s spectrum and Ericsson’s 64T64R (64 transmit, 64 receive) radios.

Sprint and Ericsson are preparing for commercial deployment next year, with Massive MIMO capable of increasing Sprint’s network capacity up to ten times. Testing of Massive MIMO on the Sprint LTE Plus network in downtown Seattle showed a capacity increase of approximately four times compared to an 8T8R antenna.

To showcase this capacity, Sprint convened 100 people with Samsung Galaxy S7 phones and ran simultaneous file downloads on a timed-test on all networks. The testing showed a 100 percent success rate on the Massive MIMO-powered Sprint network, which was a significantly higher result compared to the other networks.

In Plano, Texas, Sprint and Ericsson also recently tested Ericsson’s 64T64R Massive MIMO radios reaching peak speeds of more than 300 Mbps using a single 20 MHz channel of 2.5 GHz spectrum.

For both field trials, Ericsson provided the radio network infrastructure and backhaul equipment. Sprint and Ericsson together developed the test cases and requirements, which included a variety of performance scenarios involving multi-user and non-stationary testing. 

The Radio Network infrastructure included Ericsson’s next-generation 5G-ready AIR6468 radio, and the backhaul equipment utilized the MINI-LINK 6352 R2 microwave radios which can provide up to 10 Gbps of backhaul, future proofing the network for 5G.

“Massive MIMO is a game changer for adding capacity to our network and taking LTE Plus to the next level,” said Dr. John Saw, Sprint CTO. “This technology is a tremendous competitive advantage for Sprint, enabling us to maximize our deep 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings. Massive MIMO will be key to meeting our customers’ growing demand for unlimited data, as well as offering Gigabit LTE and 5G services.”

The companies will use the field trial results in preparation for commercial deployment of Massive MIMO in the US beginning in 2018. In cities across the US, Sprint plans to deploy 64T64R Massive MIMO radios using its 2.5 GHz spectrum to increase capacity up to ten times.

The technology will become part of Sprint’s extended network toolbox as it works to densify and optimize the network, providing more capacity, better reliability, and overall improved performance for customers. In addition, Massive MIMO is slated to power Gigabit LTE services, and it will be a key element of Sprint’s 5G network.

“Ericsson and Sprint have been collaborating on new technologies and continually evolving Sprint’s LTE network, laying the foundation for 5G,” said Nishant Batra, Head of Network Infrastructure at Ericsson.

“Our next-generation 5G-ready TDD 64T64R Massive MIMO radio (AIR6468) will help maximize spectral efficiency of Sprint’s 2.5 GHz network,” Batra added. “It will also provide a cost-efficient way to support their customers’ growing appetite for increased capacity and high-speed data services. This will be the industry’s first live eCPRI installation, which allows for several deployment and performance advantages to operators in the 5G era.”

Massive MIMO is a differentiator for Sprint because it can be easily deployed on high-band spectrum such as Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum. Massive MIMO radios can support high-frequency bands with a small form factor, whereas the physics of lower-frequency spectrum bands would require radios far too large in size to manufacture and deploy on a broad scale.

Ericsson has enhanced its global 5G radio offering by introducing a new radio product, AIR 3246, for Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (Massive MIMO). The product supports both 4G/LTE and 5G New Radio (NR) technologies and is Ericsson’s first 5G NR radio for frequency division duplex (FDD).

The product launch, according to the Swedish telecom equipment manufacturer, will enable operators – especially in metropolitan areas – to bring 5G to subscribers using currently available mid-band spectrum and boost capacity in their LTE networks.

Ericsson’s 5G Platform includes three previously launched time division duplex (TDD) radios capable of supporting 5G and Massive MIMO, as well as core, transport, digital support and security elements. The company claims to have the most complete 5G portfolio in the industry, serving the needs of the first movers in 5G.

“We now expand the 5G platform that we introduced last February,” said Fredrik Jejdling, Head of Business Area Networks at Ericsson. “The new radio will enable operators to enhance 4G capacity for their subscribers today and be ready for 5G tomorrow, using the same hardware. We also complement the products with a set of network services, simplifying the journey to 5G for our customers.”

Bridging from 4G to 5G

People are watching, sharing and streaming video and music more than ever. As such, the demands on a sufficient speed are ever increasing. Ericsson analyzed 4G network performance statistics from metropolitan areas around the world, and found that the probability of a smart device suffering from insufficient speed can be as high as 20 percent during peak hours.

Massive MIMO, Ericsson claims, is a key technology to bridge from 4G to 5G, adding intelligent capacity and boosting user experience.

“Just as carrier aggregation has been key to adding needed capacity to mobile broadband networks, Massive MIMO has the potential to be the primary capacity enabler in the next upgrade phase, providing a smooth transition towards 5G,” says Stefan Pongratz, Senior Director at the Dell’Oro Group.

“With an expected 2021 installed base of 10M LTE macro radios in high traffic and metro areas, service providers are expected to capitalize on the improved spectral efficiency made possible with Massive MIMO,” Pongratz added.

FDD Massive MIMO is part of a trial with T-Mobile US, on three sites in Baltimore, Maryland. This will be the first time that standardized Massive MIMO will be used to carry commercial LTE traffic using mid-band FDD spectrum.

Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer for T-Mobile, said the operator is “racing forward at breakneck pace with Ericsson’s next-gen tech that advances LTE today and paves the way for 5G tomorrow.”

Massive MIMO on FDD can increase network capacity up to three times and bring up to five times better user throughput, boosting performance for the end users. Today’s global base is primarily on FDD technology and devices, which separates uplink and downlink streams on different radio frequencies.

Commercially available in the second quarter 2018, AIR 3246 will be part of Ericsson Radio System. Ericsson’s 5G platform comprises the 5G core, radio and transport portfolios, together with OSS, BSS, network services and security.