ZTE Proposes 5G Architecture

SHENZHEN, China -- ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, has released details of a new 5G access network architecture based on dynamic mesh networking.

ZTE believes that 5G RAN (radio access network) technology should be a dynamic mesh network based on IP backhaul. In 5G networks there could be many types of base station including UDN (user densification network), massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output), traditional macro, and D2D. These various base stations will coordinate with each other horizontally more often than they do in 4G networks, and so will require a dynamic and adaptive wireless mesh network.

ZTE's approach to the improvement of 5G network architecture will make it possible for 5G networks to implement highly-effective SDMA (space-division multiple access), and ZTE hopes this approach will become the next telecoms industry hotspot for 5G technology research.

ZTE has viewed 5G as a strategic product since 2012, and has established teams to develop major 5G technologies and prototypes, including new services and applications. Since 2009, ZTE has researched SDA (software defined air-interface) technology, and in 2013 debuted its 5G SDA technology.

“ZTE’s 5G SDA solution allows self-adaptation of the air interfaces, so that in the same network, a network element can supporting a variety of services, and the SDA can allow multiple wireless access technologies for optimal adaptation, maximising air interfaces efficiency,” ZTE Xiang Jiying said, “At present, SDA technology is a key research area for 5G.”

For base station collaboration technology, ZTE has developed its Cloud Radio solution, and has tested and implemented it for commercial use in 4G networks, laying a solid foundation for partially-dynamic 5G mesh networks. As 5G involves a large number of parallel computations, ZTE has also developed vector processing chips for both 4G and 5G technologies which increase device processing capacities by 10 times.

ZTE Corp. (Shenzhen: 000063; Hong Kong: 0763)