The path from 5G to 6G – also known as the 5.5G era – is being paved with continuous service innovation. That’s exciting for consumers and businesses alike, who will benefit from enhanced connections – not just among people but vehicles, homes, industrial settings, and a massive array of devices.
That’s exciting for operators as well – provided their networks can meet the growing demands placed on them in the 5.5G era. Network requirements for new services and connections are increasing exponentially, which means operators need to ensure they have a high-quality foundation network that can deliver the highest-quality 5.5G experience.
That’s already possible, thanks to recent developments in FDD Massive MIMO and the long-term evolution of simplified, efficient, green, and high-quality networks in the 5.5G era. That’s good news for operators and the individuals, industries, and machines that increasingly rely on their services.
Demands on uplink speeds and network coverage are both surging, for example. In terms of uplink, services such as cloud gaming, extended reality (XR), and live broadcast require continuous network capability improvement in the 5.5G era. But the gap between 4G and 5G uplink hasn’t widened enough. Innovative operators are already monetizing enhanced upstream capabilities: China Unicom Guangdong won the GLOMO2024 award for its live broadcast package card. The service was designed to fulfill users' ultra-high uplink bandwidth requirements for HD and uninterrupted live streaming experience.
Improved coverage is also critical to 5.5G innovation, especially in residential areas. Moreover, consumers increasingly need consistent coverage across indoor and outdoor usage.
The R14 to R18 FDD Massive MIMO evolution plays an important role in 3GPP specifications, delivering high-order MIMO and beamforming needed to achieve true 5.5G. Operators are contending with more complex networks, more RATs, and more frequency bands – while also trying to achieve systematic energy conservation and deliver greener, more sustainable networks.
Both requirements point to the value of FDD Massive MIMO has become crucial. FDD triple-band Massive MIMO boosts uplink capacity, coverage and energy efficiency.
FDD Massive MIMO is the answer.
Huawei FDD Massive MIMO Leads the Industry
Huawei recently delivered the industry’s first FDD triple-band Massive MIMO as part of its broader portfolio of 5.5G solutions. The narrowest, lightest, and simplest FDD Massive MIMO available, Huawei’s mix of technology (including cutting-edge power amplifiers and filters) and its exclusive algorithm (high precision, intelligent optimization, PIMc, and energy saving) help operators build simplified, efficient, and green 5.5G networks.
Let’s take a closer look at those three critical pillars:
Highest spectral efficiency: More bands and simplified antennas are a major part of 5.5G reality. Gigaband Inside technology enables 10 times the uplink and downlink capacity, greatly improving the multi-dimensional experience for network users.
Simplest Evolution: Huawei’s solution enables a one-step upgrade to 5.5G Sub-3 GHz, via multi-band Massive MIMO and Blade AAU.
Optimal energy efficiency: None of this would be nearly as valuable if it did not enable operators to reduce their energy consumption, even as the demands on their networks become more and more complex. 0 bit, 0 watt technology reduces both energy consumption and OPEX for telcos.
These pillars support a strong foundation for emerging application scenarios and commercial use cases. FDD Massive MIMO helps maximize spectral efficiency and activates 100 MHz large bandwidth capabilities, ensuring the best possible uplink and downlink experience for 5.5G users.
Meanwhile, Huawei’s FDD Massive MIMO has been deployed in more than global 100 global networks, and it's the only large-scale commercial one used in industry.
Consensus: FDD Massive MIMO Is Must For Network Construction In The 5.5G Era
Huawei recently held a #HAS2024 roundtable focused on the theme of “Explore 5G New Value.” Analysts and other experts in attendance agreed: FDD Massive MIMO is a must-have for 5.5G network construction. The following insights were discussed at the event:
Huawei’s FDD Massive MIMO prioritizes across of those areas, making the promise of 5.5G a reality:
Bandwidth and coverage: FDD Massive MIMO can maxmize Sub-3 GHz uplink experience and coverage capability, playing a key role in the evolution to 5.5G. As noted above, services such as cloud gaming, XR, and live broadcast depend on greater uplink bandwidth for the best experience.
Energy efficiency and spectral efficiency: FDD Massive MIMO and “0 Bit, 0 Watt” are effective technologies for improving spectral efficiency and network energy efficiency. GigaGreen integrates Gigaband Beamforming and “0-Bit, 0 Watt” technologies to build a green 5.5G network foundation for efficient evolution.
Simplicity and flexibility: For multi-RATs and multi-bands networks, FDD Massive MIMO true ultra-wideband technology can flexibly deploy power resources and simplify engineering installation.
While carriers have different spectrum resources, strategy and multiple paths to evolve to 5.5G. FDD Massive MIMO is the engine that can power all of those journeys. It delivers the capabilities any carrier must prioritize on route to 5.5G: optimum bandwidth and coverage, greater simplicity, maximum efficiency, all while achieving new heights in terms of energy sustainability and customer experience.
Key Takeaways
Increasing uplink and coverage capabilities is driving demand for FDD Massive MIMO in the 5.5G era.
FDD Massive MIMO offers three advantages that enable a smooth path to 5.5G: highest spectral efficiency, simplest evolution, and optimal energy efficiency.
FDD Massive MIMO enables 10 times cross-generation performance, improving multi-dimensional experience for network users.