Displaying items by tag: R&D

Huawei and Cambridge Wireless have partnered to deploy and build a private 5G testbed at the Cambridge Science Park. This marks the start of a 3-year partnership which will include digital training, joint events and business support.

This will be the UK city's first 5G mobile private network, and will support companies with R&D and application of new digital technologies in areas such as remote surgery, autonomous vehicles and clean energy. The 5G testbed will go live in January 2021. 

Owned by Cambridge University, the Cambridge Science Park currently has over 120 technology companies and scale-ups. Cambridge Wireless is a community of 1,000 companies in R&D and application of wireless and mobile, internet, semiconductor, hardware and software technologies.

Victor Zhang, UK head of Huawei, said: “The Cambridge eco-system is recognized as a global leader in technology and we are excited to work with the talent and vision in this eco-system. We hope to enable Cambridge Wireless members to reach new heights by allowing them access to our state-of-the-art equipment and markets including China and beyond. Our commitment to the UK and industry remains as strong as ever and we will continue to offer our expertise and technology to our partners to promote connections and innovation.”

Huawei said it will invest $1.2 billion in a chip research and manufacturing center in Britain that has been strongly opposed by the United States.

Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) announced that it has shipped 6.9 million units of 5G smartphones as of December 2019, in addition to offering end-to-end 5G solutions. The strong sales reflect Huawei’s relentless commitment to 5G R&D and reinforce Huawei’s leadership in 5G technology.

Swedish telecom vendor Ericsson has surprised analysts with reduced losses in Q4 driven by the increase of sales revenues and costs reduction. Sales as reported increased by 10% Year-on-Year and sales adjusted for comparable units and currency increased by 4%. Costs related to revised Business Support Systems (BSS) strategy impacted Digital Services operating income in Q4.

To support the accelerated build out of 5G in the United States, European telecommunications vendor Ericsson will increase its investment in the market. This series of strategic initiatives will allow Ericsson to operate even closer to its customers, meeting the growing demand for 5G globally and in the region.

The investments will fall into two categories: 1) increase research and development work done close to customers in the US and 2) increase flexibility to shorten the timeline for new product introduction and product delivery to customers. This will enable Ericsson to recruit new expertise from the US, complementing the company’s existing highly-skilled employees in the region.

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, says: “The United States is our largest market, accounting for a quarter of Ericsson’s business over the last seven years. To serve the demand of these fast-moving service providers, we are strengthening our investment in the US to be even closer to our customers and meet their accelerated 5G deployment plans.”

Ericsson predicts that 5G subscriptions will reach the 150 million-mark, accounting for 48 percent of all mobile subscriptions in North America by the end of 2023.

Increase R&D in the US:

In late 2017, Ericsson opened the Austin ASIC Design Center in Austin, Texas, to focus on core microelectronics of 5G radio base stations to accelerate the path to 5G commercialization. The 1,400-square-meter facility (15,000-square-feet) will have 80 employees once fully staffed.

Ericsson will also open a new software development center with baseband focus in 2018, employing more than 200 software engineers once fully operational. This facility and its employees will further strengthen Ericsson’s 5G software development. Baseband provides intelligence to the radio access network. It is also the interface between the core network and radio units, processing and forwarding voice calls and internet data to end users.

Beginning in 2019, both of these facilities will introduce 5G products and software features into the Ericsson portfolio, and will be available for customers globally, including in the US.

Additionally, Ericsson will increase its investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation, employing around 100 specialists in North America by the end of 2018. This team will work on utilizing AI technologies to accelerate automation, examine product road maps and explore new business opportunities. They will focus on boosting the company’s current portfolio, strengthening customer engagements and promote innovation of new disruptive business opportunities.

New product introduction and manufacturing in the US:

To increase flexibility in bringing new products into the market, Ericsson will recruit a dedicated team to work specifically on introducing products for the US market, conducting production engineering, testing/integration and supply preparations on early prototypes. This will be done in close collaboration with US-based R&D resources.

To make 5G products available to customers as fast as possible, Ericsson will also begin manufacturing in the US in the fourth quarter of 2018. This will enable Ericsson to operate closer to customers -- providing volume production of next-generation radios and the fast introduction of new products into the US market. Initially, Ericsson will work with a production partner and the first radios for the US will be produced before the end of 2018.

South Korea’s SK Telecom announced the successful demonstration of essential technologies for 5G network communications in a real-world setting, accelerating its research and development efforts to roll out 5G services earlier than expected.

SK Telecom announced that it used an in-building 5G relay repeater operating in both 28 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrums in the 5G trial network at the company’s Bundang office, a result of the company’s joint development with local vendors.

The in-building 5G relay repeater helps deliver seamless network connections in an indoor environment by transferring wireless signals to radio shadow areas.

The company was able to deliver speeds of up to 4Gbps using the in-building relay repeater SK Telecom jointly developed with HFR which operated in 28 GHz band. In the 28 GHz band, radio waves are more likely to move in straight lines, being blocked more sharply by obstacles with shorter radio coverage. Frequency particularly suffers more loss inside a building, where areas are divided by walls.

Ensuring the quality of indoor service is the key to 5G service rollout, which uses ultra-high frequencies. With the success of delivering gigabit speeds using the in-building relay repeater, SK Telecom is in the process of accelerating development of 5G service that customers can enjoy even in an indoor environment.

The company has also worked with SK Telesys to develop an in-building relay repeater, which can deliver 5G radio signals in 3.5 GHz using the existing mobile communications infrastructure installed inside buildings.

Since the station uses the existing antennas for 2G, 3G and LTE services, the company can reduce time to build indoor networks for 5G service by only installing the 3.5 GHz band relay repeater.

With the success of the demonstration, SK Telecom was able to develop its capabilities for 5G relay for both indoor and outdoor settings. In August, the company deployed a relay repeater in its 5G trial network near Gangnam Station in Seoul to successfully expand radio coverage in the densely populated urban area.

On the same day, SK Telecom demonstrated a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) video call using a tablet-sized device on the 5G network connecting between T.um at SK Telecom’s headquarter in Seoul, and an area near Cheonggyecheon, a stream flowing through the central district of Seoul, in collaboration with Samsung Electronics. A user was able to enjoy a 360-degree VR video call real-time even while moving in the area surrounded by high-rise buildings.

The demonstration was performed in the central business district, a perfect place to test 5G communications service as it is surrounded by high-rise buildings generating dense data blocked by many obstacles. Both companies employed the advanced technologies, including beamforming, optimal base-station positioning and network virtualization, to build a stable 5G trial network.

With the success of the demonstration on a tablet-sized 5G device, SK Telecom accelerated its research in the field of network connections to ensure the seamless operation of devices on the 5G network. The telecom giant also expects that the demonstration will add momentum to its effort to create novel services running on the 5G network that will deliver new experiences to its customers.

“The success of 5G wireless communications in the real-world environment will give us momentum to accelerate our effort to roll out 5G services earlier than expected,” said Park Jin-hyo, Senior Vice President and Head of Network Technology R&D Center at SK Telecom. “We, at SK Telecom, will continue to develop our capabilities to rollout 5G networks in order to offer differentiated services to our customers.”

China Telecom Guangzhou Research Institute and Huawei said results of the world's first 400GE test indicate next-generation large-capacity port technology 400GE possesses the qualities required for commercial deployment.

With the rapid development of HD video, cloud computing, and other services, backbone network traffic has experienced average annual growth of over 45 percent, according to Huawei, creating challenges for backbone network bandwidth. As the next-generation port technology, 400GE can significantly increase backbone network bandwidth to help carriers cope with the explosive growth of data traffic.

Currently, international standards organizations are accelerating development work on 400GE standards, which are expected to be released by year-end 2017. In 2016, China Telecom Guangzhou Research Institute and Huawei established a 400GE joint innovation R&D team to develop live-network service requirements, application scenarios, standards formulation, and technology R&D, driving the standardization and commercial use of medium-and-long distance 400GE port technology.

Test results verified 400GE port functions such as line-speed forwarding, multi-service stacking, and fault reporting. The test was performed in China Telecom's network and terminal key laboratory using test cases based on actual network applications. The expert team at the Guangzhou Research Institute was responsible for sorting out network requirements, test-case design, and the process of the all-round test.

Huawei backbone routers were used in the test, and 400GE port networking was used between devices and the tester. Under real-world network traffic conditions, at full bandwidth, 400GE ports experienced zero packet loss in line-speed forwarding. Multi-service stack tests showed that protocol-based forwarding was normal; bundled 400GE and 100GE ports could implement precise load balancing; the transmission distance was as far as 10 km; and loopback and fault reporting functions were normal.

"High-speed traffic growth has contributed to the rapid development of high-speed port technology," said Zhu Yongqing, IP technology research owner at China Telecom Guangzhou’s Research Institute. "In the final release of the 400GE technology standard, China Telecom Guangzhou Research Institute and Huawei performed the world’s first 400GE port tests based on requirements of the live network, realizing a combination of network requirements and technical R&D.

Yongqing added, “The test results reached expectations. In the future, we will cooperate with Huawei and other partners to promote development of the 400GE industry and maturation of the supply chain, ultimately driving the development of China Telecom’s network and the national broadband infrastructure."

"This joint venture with China Telecom Guangzhou Research Institute has officially opened up the possibility of commercial use for 400GE single ports," said Chen Jinzhu, General Manager of Huawei’s Backbone Router Domain. "Moving forward, we will focus on customer requirements and spare no effort in core technologies. Our innovative solutions can assist carriers in seizing development opportunities as we enter the cloud era."

Huawei was ranked as the world’s eighth-largest company in terms of research and development spending in 2016, according to EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, an annual ranking of the world’s top 2,500 R&D investors. The global technology manufacturer’s significant investment in research and development has led to major breakthroughs in the industry including the first long-lifespan graphene-assisted Li-ion battery able to withstand high temperatures.

According to the rankings compiled by European Commission's Economics of Industrial Research and Innovation, R&D spending by Chinese companies increased 24.7 percent from the previous year, boosting its share of the global total from 5.9 percent to 7.2 percent. Furthermore, the scoreboard shows that the largest groups of companies in the world’s top 2,500 companies are drawn from the ICT, health care and automotive industries.

Huawei’s investment into the Huawei Central Research Institute has led to developments in a number of technological advancements including their latest breakthrough: Li-ion batteries.

The Watt Laboratory is an organization under Huawei's Central Research Institute. Huawei announced at the 57th Battery Symposium held in Japan that Huawei plans to unveil Li-ion batteries featuring new graphene-assisted heat-resistant technologies. These technologies allow Li-ion batteries to remain functional in a 60°C environment, a temperature 10°C higher than the existing upper limit. The lifespan of the graphene-assisted Li-ion batteries will also be twice as long as ordinary Li-ion batteries, allowing for an unprecedented long battery life.

Dr. Yangxing Li, Chief Scientist at Watt Laboratory said: "We have performed charging and discharging tests in a high-temperature environment. The tests show that when working parameters are the same, the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion battery is 5°C cooler than ordinary Li-ion batteries. Over 70% of the graphene-assisted battery's capacity is left after it is recharged 2,000 times at a temperature of 60°C. Less than 13% of its capacity is lost after being kept in a 60°C environment for 200 days."

Huawei's research results will reshape the storage systems of communications base stations. In high-temperature regions and countries like the United Arab Emirates, outdoor base stations powered by the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion batteries can have working lifespans longer than four years. These batteries ensure a high mileage for electric vehicles per charge in high temperatures. They can also guarantee the safe operation of drones, which often generate a significant amount of heat.

Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) revealed its expected 2016 annual performance figures indicating a 42 percent increase when compared to 2015. With anticipated sales revenue of US$26 billion, Huawei CBG is showing steady growth for the fifth consecutive year. Additionally, smartphone shipments reached 139 million units presenting a year-on-year growth of 29 percent.

According to IDC, the increasing rate of global smartphone shipments was only 0.6% in 2016, which means Huawei has outperformed the overall market. Mr. Richard Yu, Chief Operating Officer of Huawei CBG, commented on the results saying: “Despite tough market conditions Huawei CBG is still growing at industry-leading speed. We believe our success is a direct result of our consumer and innovation-centric approach, as well as our ongoing commitment to building a premium brand. As we reinforce our global channels and ensure consistent, high-quality service, we make our devices accessible and reliable for all Huawei users.”

When speaking on Huawei’s plans for the coming year, Yu said: “In 2017, we plan to strengthen our supply chain, channels, R&D efforts, our after-sales services. We will also work to fortify any other areas and to streamline our operations, improve the efficiency of our decision-making, drive our internationalization strategy and proactively develop future capacity.”

The global smartphone industry is witnessing a slowdown and fewer innovations are being introduced to the market, but Huawei CBG is building product leadership and pioneering ground-breaking developments in key technology areas. In 2016, Huawei CBG focused on developing meaningful innovations and made breakthroughs in the areas of operating systems (EMUI based on Android), dual-lens camera technology, artificial intelligence and more.

For years, Android users have been let down by their devices as performance declined over time. Huawei set out to solve this and with their software R&D team led by world-class Linux professionals, they conducted in-depth optimization research on the Android system. Based on their findings, Huawei unveiled EMUI 5.0 – their latest operating system software that is deeply integrated with the Kirin chipset and contains 20 Huawei patented technologies.

2016 also saw the introduction of Huawei’s first dual-lens camera technology featured on a flagship device. These were designed in conjunction with industry expert Leica Camera AG and by the end of the year Huawei had developed two generations of dual-camera technology. This not only set the industry ablaze and established new benchmarks for image quality, but also it made the Huawei P9 and Mate 9 very popular amongst consumers.

In September 2016, Huawei also founded the Max Berek Innovation Lab alongside Leica Camera AG. This center will see joint research and development efforts in the fields of optical systems, imaging algorithms, virtual and augmented reality.

With these technological advancements, Huawei’s flagship products such as the P9 and Mate 9 have achieved global recognition. Huawei P9 and P9 Plus global shipments exceeded 10 million units, making them the first Huawei flagship handsets to break 10 million sales. The Huawei Mate 9 series, shortly after launching in November 2016, faced a supply shortage due to overwhelming demand and its sales in the first two months were 50 percent higher than those of Mate 8 for the same period.

In 2017, Huawei CBG will continue to put consumer needs first and will develop a consumer-facing system focused on channels, retail, brand, marketing and services, to strengthen its business base and streamline its operations and customer service. In the meantime, Huawei is committed to making further breakthroughs in innovation that will help consumers have a more intelligent, connected lifestyle.

Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson revealed their ambitious plans for 5G deployment in China. Ericsson endured a number of high-profile setbacks in recent months, but they’ve disclosed some of its strategies in relation to the 5G deployment in China – which is a market they feel is the future of global communications.

One of the central components of Ericsson’s strategies is in the increase of its resources in R&D. This has been implemented in an effort to create new opportunities for the company in China. As the mass deployment of 4G technologies slows down, a massive emphasis has now been put on the preparation of fifth generation mobile communication technology – and Ericsson has made a significant investment in its R&D sector in order to help with the transition from 4G to 5G to keep them a foothold in the market.  

Ericsson has been in China for almost 125 years, and Senior Vice President and Head of region North East Asia, Chris Houghton believes technological advancements being made in relation to IoT and autonomous transportation represent an exciting time for the tech sector in the Far East.

While the charismatic Senior VP highlighted that China is a challenging and highly competitive market, he feels that it truly represents the future of global communications and declared that it was imperative Ericsson were ready to readjust to economic realities in the region and embrace the transition from 4G to 5G.

Houghton said: “We have a significant investment in China already, with over 11,000 people in the country covering sales, manufacturing, R&D, global service center and other global functions. We also source a considerable portion of equipment and components in China for our global operations. We are currently increasing our R&D resources to prepare for 5G.”

He added that China’s growth over the past thirty years had been remarkable and that it was an exciting and key market for Ericsson citing that they had enjoyed a long and illustrious history in the region and hoped to continue that tradition.

“China's growth over the past 30 years has been remarkable and the benefits are there for all to see -- people's lives have been improved tremendously. I believe Ericsson China has a bright future; we have been in China for 125 years next year and we are planning for another 125. It's a dynamic, challenging and highly competitive market and will increasingly drive the future of global communications, so we are highly committed and will continue to contribute to China's economic growth and social development into the future. As the mass deployment cycle of 4G technologies slows, we are preparing for 5G to take off.”