5G has been commercialized for three years. It has developed rapidly in terms of network coverage, devices, and user scale. 5G delivers a more HD and immersive digital experience to consumers, and has accelerated digital transformation across industries. It has improved the way people work and the production efficiency of industries. In terms of 5G network construction, operators focused on TDD and mmWave development during the initial phase, but recently TDD+FDD convergence has been the choice for most operators.
Moving forward, all connections and services will evolve to 5G, and so will all bands. Huawei has developed the One 5G concept and solutions to maximize the capabilities of all bands, and facilitate in-depth coordination between bands, which lays the groundwork for the construction of efficient and cost-effective 5G networks.
MetaAAU with ELAA Improves TDD Uplink and Downlink Coverage While Reducing Energy Consumption
Combination of TDD high bandwidth and Massive MIMO has enabled cross-generation 5G experience. It is important to provide better coverage and higher capacity with lower energy consumption, which has inspired a series of new TDD Massive MIMO solutions.
Huawei’s MetaAAU boosts performance and energy efficiency to new levels, by making use of extremely large antenna array (ELAA) technology, as well as innovative software and hardware coordination. MetaAAU has been deployed at scale around the world. It has been proven to boost uplink and downlink coverage and user experience, while consuming less energy.
Products with wider bandwidth will be a must-have for operators to fulfill new band allocation needs and simplify the ultra-wide bandwidth deployment. Huawei’s new 800 MHz MetaAAU supports current deployment on C-Band and enables simplified deployment on future new spectrum.
For scenarios with limited antenna installation space, Huawei provides Meta BladeAAU, which combines Meta and Blade technologies in a unique way, to allow for easy deployment of MetaAAU and all sub-3GHz bands on a single pole, making it ideal for single-antenna scenarios.
Ultra-wideband and Multi-antenna Technologies Simplify Deployment with Fragmented FDD Spectrum and Improve Spectral Efficiency
Legacy FDD bands will continue to evolve to 5G. This process may meet challenges of the fragmented spectrum of narrow-band and co-existence of multi-RATs.
Huawei has been upgrading its ultra-wideband and multi-antenna solution series to help operators simplify deployment, improve spectral efficiency, and provide high-level user experience for all RATs.
Huawei’s ultra-wideband 4T4R RRU supports simplified multi-band network deployment on 700–900 MHz or 1.8–2.6/1.4 GHz, and millisecond-level power sharing across all carriers, bands, and RATs, which reduces power consumption while ensuring GU coverage.
Another Huawei product, ultra-wide band 8T8R RRU can increase 4G and 5G network capacity by 1.5 and 3 times, respectively. Together with the Hertz platform antenna which having built-in signal direct injection feeding (SDIF) technology, 8T8R RRU is able to reduce energy consumption.
For scenarios requiring a large capacity, Huawei provides FDD Massive MIMO AAU, which can increase 4G and 5G network capacity by 3 and 5 times, respectively, enhancing 4G and 5G performance. This product has been commercially deployed at scale on over 70 networks around the world.
For single-pole scenarios, Huawei provides the FDD BladeAAU solution, which is the industry’s first to combine FDD Massive MIMO AAUs and sub-3GHz passive antennas. It allows for simple deployment on one pole.
LampSite and RuralLink Solutions Enable Ubiquitous 5G
Considering that 70% of wireless network traffic comes from the indoor scenarios, Huawei has developed the LampSite 5.0 solution that features TDD+FDD multi-band and multi-RAT combination. Thanks to a highly-integrated design, LampSite 5.0 reduces hardware weight and volume while reducing power consumption. In addition, mmWave is introduced for the LampSite solution to deliver indoor 10 Gbps capacity based on ultra-wide bandwidth and distributed architecture.
Huawei has also launched the RuralLink solution that is designed for remote areas. With this solution, a single RRU and antenna are all that’s needed to provide rural coverage for three sectors, and microwave fronthaul can save BBU deployment on the site. The inter-site distance between RuralLink site and host site is up to 20 km. With simplified design and ultra-low power consumption, only 6 solar panels are enough to power a single site and remote O&M is supported.
Innovative mmWave Solution Enables mmWave Commercial Deployment in Outdoor Hotspots and Indoor Scenarios
mmWave spectrum resources are abundant, and more than 140 operators have obtained access to the high-bandwidth spectrum. Outdoor hotspots and indoor environments are typical application scenarios of mmWave.
In outdoor hotspot scenarios, Huawei’s mmWave solution makes use of iBeam and intelligent high- and low-band coordination algorithm to achieve precise beam alignment and fast tracking. Performance under continuous networking reveals that a continuous high user-perceived rate can be delivered in moving vehicles and indoor environments along streets.
In indoor scenarios, Huawei’s LampSite 5.0, supporting 800 MHz mmWave, C-band, and the 1.8 GHz band, works with the distributed architecture, providing an ultra-large capacity of more than 10 Gbps. These new capabilities will also make indoor connections seamless while unlocking the full potential of mmWave.
IntelligentRAN Empowers Intelligent 5G Networks
As all bands evolve to 5G, intelligent networks are needed to support the requirements of diversified services, enhance multi-RAT O&M efficiency, and balance user experience and energy consumption. With layered intelligence architecture, Huawei’s IntelligentRAN helps operators reduce network O&M costs, open network capabilities, and create more business opportunities.
The combination of One 5G all-band solutions and IntelligentRAN unlocks the full potential of all bands including TDD, FDD, and mmWave, and facilitates all-band coordination for better network performance and lower power consumption, following the principle: Bands Work As One and Networks Work As One.