Ericsson has successfully demonstrated data rates of 1.5 Gbps using their C-Band 5G product portfolio. This is the highest peak data rate on a single user device at C-Band frequencies. This milestone leveraged the most advanced Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology with 5G.
Ericsson optimized its MIMO algorithm using advanced reciprocity-based beamforming technology, forming four separate optimal beams from its base station towards the single user while minimizing the interferences between the beams, to reach the peak throughput. The live C Band network at its North American headquarters uses a 64T64R AAS radio on the rooftop of its office building, supported by a 5G core network as part of the 5G Distributed Innovation Network at Ericsson’s facility in Plano, Texas.
Paul Challoner, Vice President of Network Product Solutions for Ericsson North America, said that they are excited to continue to push the envelope of what is possible with 5G. Ericsson is committed to bringing the best technology to realize the full potential of 5G early to the market to further catalyze the use of this advanced technologies.
This capability complements Ericsson’s already diverse 5G portfolio and underscores the importance of mid-band spectrum to the development of 5G. This recent demonstration also builds on an earlier successful test of a live C Band network and the industry’s first 16-layer Multi-User MIMO 256 QAM with 8 UEs over 100MHz in the US. That test set a new C Band performance benchmark with 5.4 Gbps peak cell capacity, with spectrum being a scarce natural resource Ericsson full stack radio platform achieved record high spectral efficiency (54 bit/Hertz/second). With this performance optimized Radio Access Network (RAN) in the 5G portfolio, Ericsson is well positioned to help operators maximize ROI in a crucial 5G market timing window.
Mid-band spectrum offers a balanced combination of capacity and coverage. With an important C Band auction on the horizon in the US, many operators are looking to leverage this spectrum to complement their existing high- and low-band deployments. C Band spectrum consists of 500 MHz between 3.7-4.2 GHz of which a total of 280 Megahertz between 3.7 and 3.98 GHz is being cleared for 5G use in tomorrow’s auction. It is critical for enabling innovative 5G use cases such as connected factories, smart cities, and virtual reality gaming.
Michael Thelander, President of Signals Research Group (SRG), a US-based consultancy which focuses on performance benchmarking of emerging wireless technologies, was on site for the demonstration and for some subsequent testing that SRG did in the Plano network.
“Consumers will definitely benefit from the forthcoming advancements in MIMO technology that Ericsson is introducing with mid-band 5G NR. In addition to achieving higher peak speeds, consumers will benefit from the greater resiliency of SRS-based MIMO, meaning higher data speeds across a much larger portion of the network,” Thelander said.
