A field pilot completed by Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Telia has demonstrated the macro-grid-ready uplink performance of a Massive MIMO radio in the upper 6 GHz spectrum band. Based on Nokia’s AirScale Habrok platform, the massive MIMO radio will offer carriers a network evolution path when 5G-Advanced and 6G networks become available, according to Nokia.
“This field pilot demonstrates that Nokia is ready to help mobile operators integrate the bandwidth of these new spectrum allocations seamlessly into their existing network allowing them to provide coverage from the existing macro cell sites on the higher frequency bands,” Mark Atkinson, Head of RAN at Nokia, said.
During the trial, Nokia used a 128TRX Massive MIMO radio based on its AirScale Habrok platform and a test terminal from MediaTek with integrated antennas. The pilot examined whether the uplink coverage on the new, higher frequency is compatible with the existing inter-site distances, according to Nokia.
The companies tested the upper part of the band (n104) and used a 3.5 GHz massive MIMO cell of the same RF-bandwidth across various distances to replicate different real-world scenarios.
Field tests showed that massive capacity can be added in urban areas, where there is higher demand for TDD broadband, and high throughput can be achieved in suburban or rural areas.
“This offers operators an evolution path to 5G-Advanced and 6G, in the future,” said Stefan Jäverbring, Group Chief Technology Officer at Telia. “As our customers generate increasing amounts of mobile traffic, it is essential to have further access to mid-band TDD spectrum to enhance digitalization in our markets and serve our customers appropriately.”
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