ZTE Corporation is providing its 5G base stations and core network equipment to Softbank for experimenting in the 4.5 GHz band. SoftBank obtained its obtained its experimental license for this band on 20 November, 2017. The experiment will be conducted in the Shiba-Daimon area of Tokyo, Japan.
ZTE has established close relationships with Softbank while experimenting with Massive MIMO, which is one of the important elemental technologies adopted for 5G starting 2015, and by supplying Massive MIMO equipment in SoftBank’s commercial networks since 2016.
SoftBank aims to use its learnings from this experiment for its 5G commercial services which are due to start around 2020, and will execute further experiments for 5G introductions based on the know-how accumulated by both parties.
SoftBank has implemented new radio interface to be adopted for 5G and Massive MIMO. It has scheduled experiments with multiple terminals in densely populated areas such as central Tokyo. They have also planned experiments for actual use cases like enhanced mobile broadband communication and mobility verifications etc.
ZTE, a pioneer of 5G technologies, has driven 5G technology verifications and experiments targeting commercial deployments with global operators like SoftBank. Underpinned by its leadership in 5G technologies, the company is committed to helping carriers deploy the latest network innovations and smoothly evolve from 4.5G networks, supporting the ongoing digital transformation of operators globally.
