Tag: 4 × 4 MIMO

3GPP Release 15: Standard for 5G coming in 2018

Before 2020, no 5G networks will probably start, but the technical pillars of the next generation of mobile phones are becoming increasingly visible and mid-2018  5G should then be finally standardized in 3GPP Release 15. From the time of standardization,, network equipment suppliers and chip manufacturers can then quickly adapt their pre-standard hardware and software to UEs and deliver it to network operators and customers. How the way could look up to now and which specifications are expected to be part of the 5G standard, Dr. Ing. Peter Zhou, chief marketing officer for the Wireless Product Line at Huawei Enterprise, revealed at the Huawei Global Mobile Broadband Forum.

 

Goal: globally uniform 5G standard

The standardization organization 3GPP aims to define the first industry-wide 5G standard with Release 15. Various organizations are involved in the 3GPP, including the European ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). A common standard is very important for 5G to be built around the world on the same technical foundation as 4G/LTE is. The timeline of the 3GPP, included as a graphic below, reveals that in June 2018 release 15 will be ready and thus the basis for 5G will have been created.

 

Huawei: Details about antenna technology at 5G

Exact specifications for 5G are as described only from June 2018 at the earliest. Peter Zhou from Huawei described how Huawei imagines the antenna technology at 5G: in the high-band range ( eg 3.5 GHz, C-band) should be at least 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology mandatory, in the low-band range (eg less than 1.8 GHz) should be at least 2 × 2 MIMO expanded. So that 5G networks have to meet much for the minimum requirements. In the high-band sector, Zhou sees the future, but especially in Massive MIMO antenna technology, where, of course, in this assessment must also take into account that the network equipment with Massive MIMO antenna technology earns neat money. As a mandatory standard you will probably not see Massive MIMO at 5G/3GPP Rel. 15.

Huawei: 5G networks need to use AI

According to Dr. Zhou, it will be a key point that the 5G network technology with artificial intelligence (“AI”) is equipped. He said at the Mobile Broadband Forum in London: “AI is a core element in 5G networks. Mobile networks must become intelligent”.Here one can use the artificial intelligence in different areas of the net well: the transmitters could communicate constantly with each other, in order always to be able to get the optimum from the existing radio spectrum. For the customer, it is about the best possible network coverage and a high service quality, for the operator to the most efficient use of radio licenses and thus also to reduce costs. In other areas, one can well imagine the use of AI in the mobile network, for example, when it comes to edge computing or autonomous driving.

 

Vodafone Launches Gigabit LTE with 4 × 4 MIMO

Vodafone is the first German mobile network operator to announce the launch of LTE with gigabit speed and promises the launch of the first smartphone with Gigabit LTE modem in the market. Up to now, data rates of up to 500 MBit/s were possible in the Vodafone network, the speed is now doubled with the new 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology. Gigabit LTE is now available in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and Düsseldorf, further cities are to follow according to Vodafone.

Gigabit LTE: new network technology for faster speed

Vodafone combines several different technologies to achieve gigabit data rates in the LTE network. Thus, on the one hand, Carrier Aggregation (Channel bundling) is used to bundle different frequency ranges and thus make a larger radio spectrum available to the terminal. Vodafone currently uses 3CC (3CA) with band 3, 7 and 20 (800, 1800 and 2600 MHz), but in the future LTE will also be used on 2100 MHz (band 1), so that 4CC CA and 4CA it is possible. The second technology for increasing the speed in the downlink is the 256QAM modulation. Last but not least, the 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology is now supported at the locations with Gigabit LTE, which means that it is sent and received twice as many antennas as before. To date, 2 × 2 MIMO antennas have been common.

Gigabit LTE is only available in a few locations

According to Vodafone, the first cities with Gigabit LTE supply are Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover and Berlin, more cities to follow. However, the high speed is not available at every transmitter; rather Gigabit LTE will only be developed in places with very high data traffic, also to increase the capacity in the network. A comprehensive expansion is not worthwhile for the operator, since for Gigabit LTE a very high transmitter density is necessary.

Gigabit LTE can only be used with a new terminal

If you want to use the full Gigabit in the download also on the smartphone, you need a new device, which can support at least LTE category 16 (LTE Cat16). In addition, the smartphone must possess 4 × 4 MIMO antenna technology, as well as 256QAM modulation and at least three-fold carrier aggregation. If one of the features is not supported, then the speed drops dramatically: 256QAM modulation increases the speed compared to the 64QAM modulation by 33%, 4 × 4 MIMO increases the speed by 50% compared to 2 × 2 MIMO. Here now, there is Netgear Nighthawk M1 MR1100 Gigabit LTE Router is available in Australia for network provider Telstra, but you can get unlocked Netgear Nighthawk M1 from www.4gltemall.com so as to use in Germany and other European countries. It’s a Gigabit mobile hotspot for a group of people. If you want to use the stationary router for the Vodafone Gigabit LTE network, the lastest Huawei B618s-22d 4G Router is also recommended.

And Huawei had recently released the new flagship smartphone Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro would support the Gigabit LTE networks. These are the more latest wireless terminals for the LTE advanced pro networks. We suppose there will be more and more gadgets for the LTE-A pro. And we will keep updating on www.4gltemall.com/blog.

 

 

4.5G – LTE Advanced Pro

LTE Advanced Pro or 4.5G is a very up-to-date topic in the mobile world. Although the LTE successor 5G is talked much, 4.5G is already used by the network operators, and it already active and already contains many features, which will later also play a large role in 5G. Many carriers in Europe, such as Vodafone and Telekom, have already carried out initial tests with 4.5G or LTE Advanced Pro, which was launched to market shortly before. What you will understand exactly under 4.5G is to be explained in this article.

4.5G: Features

Right from the start: whether 4.5G or LTE Advanced Pro is the same. It is the successor of 4G and/or LTE Advanced. According to the Global Mobile Supplier Association (GSA), a network must support the following standards to be officially considered a 4.5G network:

One of the following features:

  • Ultra short latencies, ULL (ultra-low latency)
  • An extension for machine communication, eg NarrowBand-Iot (NB-IoT) or eMTC

Additionally, at least one of the following features:

  • 4 or more bundled downlink frequency ranges (4CC Downlink Carrier Aggregation, CC here for Component Carrier)
  • The aggregate spectrum aggregated with carrier aggregation exceeds 60 MHz
  • 2 or more bundled Uplink frequency bands (2CC Uplink Carrier Aggregation)
  • Advanced MIMO antenna technology (eg 4 × 4 MIMO, 8 × 8 MIMO, Beamforming, Massive MIMO)
  • 256QAM modulation in the downlink
  • 64QAM modulation in uplink
  • License Assisted Access (LAA), ie the additional use of unlicensed radio spectrum, eg in the 5 GHz frequency range
  • Vehicle-to-X communication (V2X)
  • Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPTT)
  • Network extensions for improved indoor positioning

The V2X communication is already being tested under some carriers’ networks, for example Vodafone. Recently, there was a corresponding demo at the Mobile World Congress together with the network equipment supplier Huawei. In theory, Vodafone could also bundle significantly more frequency spectrum and thus introduce 4CC or 5CC carrier aggregation, but the provider has so far restricted itself to Triple Carrier Aggregation (LTE 800 + LTE 1800 + LTE 2600).

 

NB-IoT is used in the LTE band 8, that is to say in the 900 MHz range parallel to GSM, and band 20 (800 MHz) is also to be used. Up to now Telekom has bundled three frequency bands by means of carrier aggregation. In the future, however, the vendor could easily add additional carriers such as Band 8 (900 MHz) or Band 1 (2100 MHz). A significant increase in the downlink speed should therefore be possible in the near future. The use of 4 × 4 MIMO is also being tested in some locations and within the framework of its 5G, Vodafone has long been working on measures to further reduce latencies. Surely these ULL features will also be implemented in the 4.5G network.

 

What does 4.5G bring to the end customer?

Many 4.5G features are particularly interesting for communication with machines or between machines, eg NB-IoT or ULL. As an end customer with a modern smartphone (from LTE Cat11 or newer, eg Huawei P10 or LG G6), there is one benefit: the maximum possible speed is much higher than what is so far. The expansion of LTE on other frequency bands, eg band 8 or band 1, will allow better network coverage in some places. Massive MIMO, in particular, will have a significant improvement in the average speed for the individual user, particularly at locations with very high capacity utilization.