CommScope and Nokia have developed a Massive MIMO integrated antenna solution for network densification in support of mobile data traffic growth and the evolution towards 5G.
The Massive MIMO beamforming antenna solution consists of a CommScope dual-band, FDD-LTE antenna integrated with two Nokia AirScale radios to deliver 16T16R Massive MIMO in two bands simultaneously. The solution will add capacity in both uplink and downlink and provide coverage enhancement for 4.9G networks. The path to 5G includes evolving the current 4G network through densification, virtualization and optimization to deliver an enhanced mobile broadband experience. The new Massive MIMO solution showcases the synergies of combining Nokia’s radio expertise with CommScope’s advanced antenna technology.
Massive MIMO is an evolutionary leap forward in terms of antenna technology. It uses more elements to support multi-user MIMO, beamforming and typically 8 or 16 streams of simultaneous communication to enable a major boost in network capabilities. Massive MIMO substantially increases spectral efficiency to deliver more network capacity and wider coverage and takes LTE network performance to near 5G levels.
This new Massive MIMO beamforming antenna solution will be available in mid-2018 for commercial deployment and is on display in the CommScope stand at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona.