Huawei Massive MIMO Solutions

2021: 5G Product Series to Enhance Multi-Antenna Technology for All Ranges and Scenarios

On July 1, 2021, Huawei announced the release of the 5G series of products to expand the use of multi-antenna technology for all ranges and scenarios.

By releasing this series, we are committed to implementing multi-antenna technology for all scenarios and ranges. Some solution products will help operators deploy 5G networks and provide top-notch experience. Huawei will work with global partners to innovate and share 5G benefits with everyone noted Yang Chaobin, president of Huawei's wireless product line.

Huawei combined technologies and algorithms in ultra-wideband radio and power amplifiers to launch Massive MIMO, which supports both 64T64R and 400 MHz bandwidth. This product supports the entire C-Band frequency range, and now operators are able to use the entire discrete frequency spectrum using a single module and thereby reduce the number of necessary devices on the site. In addition, this product combines huge throughput and high capacity, so a single module can be used by several operators. This will solve the problem of a lack of frequency spectrum in one operator, significantly improve the quality of service to users, significantly reduce the footprint and power consumption of antenna modules compared to separate deployments.

Lightweight base stations are easier to install and take up less space, reducing the cost of deploying networks. The Huawei 64T64R Massive MIMO is the lightest in its segment: the weight of one module is only 19 kg. Thanks to continuous innovations in Massive MIMO design, Huawei 64T solutions can be transported and installed by one person, while providing high performance, which significantly improves construction efficiency.

Massive MIMO solutions have been put into commercial operation in the TDD bands to provide service to 5G subscribers and high throughput. However, the use of FDD Massive MIMO technology is difficult due to the need to balance the size, weight and performance of the device. Therefore, to help operators who have limited or no wide TDD frequency bands, as well as operators under pressure to increase throughput, Huawei has released FDD Massive MIMO products combining the design of an antenna array of metamaterials and the technology of superminiature filters without passive intermodulation (PIM). The FDD Massive MIMO device has a width of less than 500 mm, but demonstrates technical characteristics at the level of similar TDD Massive MIMO solutions. This development provides a 5-6x increase in cell capacity compared to 4T4R networks, while providing the same depth of coverage as in ranges below 1 GHz.

2019: Introducing the full 5G solution series

On October 22, 2019, Huawei introduced a complete series of solutions for 5G networks. The deployment of 5G networks is in full swing. The world's first commercial 5G networks using the C-band and the 2.6 GHz band have already been put into commercial operation. The turn of the frequency division bands, designed to cover 5G networks on a country-wide scale, and millimeter bands, have come, which will increase the capacity of networks in areas of high traffic.

"The 5G standard has become a reality. Powerful network technologies provide optimal usability, and advanced algorithms provide the performance you need. Autonomous management enables the most efficient operation and maintenance of networks. Our goal is to help operators realize the full benefits of using 5G networks, " noted Edward Deng, President of Huawei Wireless Solutions Direction

According to Huawei, Massive MIMO technology allows you to expand the limits described by Shannon's theorem and significantly increase the capacity of mobile networks. Huawei has developed commercial products based on its own chips with support for Massive MIMO technology.

According to October 2019, more than 40,000 systems were deployed in China and Japan, which allowed operators to increase network capacity by 3-5 times. The first generation of Huawei products supporting Massive MIMO technology has become a reference point for large-scale multi-antenna solutions. Massive MIMO systems are widely used as standard equipment for 5G mobile networks. Their characteristics directly affect the quality of communication in these networks.

So that telecom operators can overcome the restrictions associated with coverage in the C-band and fully use the high throughput of 5G networks, Huawei has launched the second generation of 5G products based on Massive MIMO technology. These are products with support for large-scale deployment, with support for 200 mHz bandwidth, with 200 W transmission power. At the same time, they differ in smaller weight and dimensions. The solution provides 5G networks with a bandwidth of several gigabits per second and becomes key equipment for telecom operators, according to Huawei.

As the 5G standard is increasingly used around the world, Huawei has released the third generation of Massive MIMO technology-based systems for 5G networks. With industry-leading technologies and processes such as 7nm chips and modern composites, product performance has improved over previous models.

According to the developer, the third generation of Massive MIMO-based systems supports 400 MHz bandwidth in any spectrum use cases. Transmission power is up to 320 watts and provides wider coverage in the C-band. Huawei weighs only 25 kg. In most cases, one person will cope with its installation. The amount of energy consumed is comparable to conventional RRUs with similar transmission power. Thanks to this, operators will be able to reduce the cost of operating mobile networks. The solution will help remove obstacles to large-scale 5G deployments.

On October 22, 2019, Huawei also introduced a complete series of 5G solutions for any application. This includes BladeAAU, Easy Macro 3.0, BookRRU 3.0 and LampSite Sharing, as well as macro solutions for working in the millimeter range, systems located on poles, and equipment for organizing small cells. The integrated active antenna system can BladeAAU be mounted on the same mast. Thanks to this, high integration rates are achieved in the industry: for the operation of all bands up to 6 GHz, one device is used that combines active and passive antennas. Easy Macro 3.0 and BookRRU 3.0 are installed on poles, these products for the first time use multi-antenna technology. LampSite Sharing was the industry's first digital indoor solution to support 400 MHz bandwidth. It provides the network bandwidth required to operate in high traffic areas within buildings.

"Powerful equipment alone will not support 5G high-speed networks. The spectral range and the number of radio frequency channels in 5G networks has expanded significantly compared to 4G, and the scheduling time has decreased significantly. This means that software algorithms are of great importance for fully realizing the potential of 5G networks and maximizing their efficiency, " noted Edward Deng, President of Huawei Wireless Solutions Direction

Advanced algorithms allow you to constantly increase the efficiency of using previous generations of networks. According to Huawei, algorithms are vital to ensure the basic performance of 5G networks, solve problems associated with the loss of relevance of Moore's law and slowing down the growth of computing power, and create networks with new capabilities.

Huawei is also developing innovative software for wireless networks from scratch, from concept creation to algorithm validation and commercial implementation. The company attracts experts from various fields and mathematicians from around the world to determine the theoretical limit of software capabilities using scientific methods. In developing the testing platform, Huawei's extensive experience in deploying and maintaining software around the world was used, which made it possible to accelerate the verification and optimization of software algorithms. Huawei managed to implement these advanced algorithms in its chips.

As noted in Huawei, in order to maximize network capacity, antennas with Massive MIMO support overcome the limitations of the Shannon Act. Huawei's most complex Massive MIMO algorithms are able to process thousands of channels in a very short period of time, forming the most accurate beams and eliminating interference. This improves network throughput and ensures optimal communication quality for users. Massive MIMO algorithms guarantee high-quality connectivity, even if the user moves very quickly.

Huawei uses the VR Turbo solution to ensure high quality transmission over 5G networks. Using intelligent acceleration technologies for VR cloud services and other network latency-sensitive services, this solution reduces latency and improves interaction with them. Huawei, together with telecom operators, has developed an innovative Super Uplink solution for industrial applications. Super Uplink coordinates signals in the upper and lower frequency bands, improves TDD-FDD compatibility, time/frequency domain aggregation, and full slot scheduling. As a result, the data rate is increased and the delay time on the uplink is reduced.

Huawei offers telecom operators solutions for comprehensive automatic power management that reduce energy consumption and increase efficient operating time. They provide high energy efficiency, balance of productivity and energy consumption.

2018: Announcement of a miniature active antenna system based on Massive MIMO (MM AAU)

On November 21, 2018, Huawei announced an advanced solution that simplifies the commercial introduction of 5G technology by telecom operators. The compact device is the lightest and smallest active antenna system based on Massive MIMO (MM AAU) technology from Huawei. At the same time, it has enough power to work stably even in a hurricane wind, the company says.

Given that existing facilities are heavily loaded, Huawei's simplified antenna solution of the 1 + 1 type is able to ensure the cleanliness of the facility and reduce rental costs for operators.

Massive MIMO multi-user spatial multiplexing technology works with high-capacity and high-speed per user features that guarantee Gbps sector throughput and ultra-large user capacity. They also provide exceptional bandwidth and a guarantee function QoS as well as wired networks. Massive MIMO is one of the important technologies of the 5G air interface, which is the main technology for differentiating 4G and 5G networks.

In general, Huawei's 5G solutions in the field of energy and microwaves help operators create 5G networks faster, easier and for less money. The company also uses artificial intelligence technology to help operators simplify maintenance and reduce operating costs.

Massive MIMO is one of the most important air interface technologies for 5G and a key technology for differentiating 4G and 5G networks. At the same time, rational planning and deployment of active antenna systems MM AAU play a key role. The entire MM AAU solution series is suitable for different 5G use cases and allows carriers to prepare for 5G implementation in advance on the basis of existing 4G networks. Using artificial intelligence technologies (Wireless AI) for wireless networks that simplify maintenance and operation, active antenna systems provide significantly higher quality of service compared to common technologies for building a 4G network and better meet the requirements of mobile Internet services of the future, "said Zhou Yuefeng, marketing director for wireless solutions at Huawei.