NEC Corporation and Analog Devices (ADI) announced that they have teamed up to design a 5G Network Massive MIMO Antenna Radio Unit for Rakuten Mobile. The radio unit adopts ADI’s fourth-generation wideband RF transceiver solution to achieve high precision Massive MIMO and possesses a 5G open vRAN (virtual RAN) interface corresponding to Rakuten Mobile’s end-to-end fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network.
It delivers large capacity transmission with high efficiency by using 3.7 GHz frequency Massive MIMO and digital beamforming technology. The cloud-native virtual network heralds a major shift in how communications providers can offer high-speed internet access worldwide, at significantly lower costs, made possible without the maintenance, upkeep, repair, and labor costs associated with the physical infrastructure that hinders conventional networks. NEC has already started shipping the 5G Network Massive MIMO Antenna Radio Unit to Rakuten Mobile.
ADI’s fourth-generation wideband RF transceiver integrates quad-channel transmitters, receivers, and Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD) in a single chip. The radio is fully software reconfigurable and covers all sub-6 GHz 5G frequency bands, simplifying radio designs.
ADI’s RF transceiver is expertly designed to support wireless applications such as Massive MIMO and small cell systems, simplifying system design, reducing size and weight, and minimizing power consumption. Virtualization is a dependable and cost-efficient approach, and the world’s leading telecom providers are pursuing it as the next evolution of communications. ADI’s RF equipment provides the connectivity required to build an architecture that supports 5G full-spectrum systems.
NEC's 5G equipment utilizes highly accurate digital beamforming for efficient high-capacity transmission. The system also features seamless installation, achieved through circuit integration.
The new wave of 5G-based network connectivity is defined by flexibility. By working with NEC to drive the first Massive MIMO installation for Rakuten Mobile, ADI is laying the groundwork to propel 5G connectivity forward. The ecosystem is incredibly intricate and complex, but the primary goal is for all parties to work seamlessly together to inspire efficiencies across the board: cost, time, and capital equipment.
