AT&T is working with Nokia Bell Labs in testing distributed massive MIMO (DmMIMO) to significantly increases uplink capacity and speeds in 5G networks without requiring an overly complex solution. Specifically, Nokia is collaborating with AT&T on the validation of DmMIMO and testing the proof-of-concept technology in the AT&T labs. Bell Labs’s DmMIMO simulations have demonstrated increases in 5G uplink capacity between 60% and 90% compared to similarly configured systems with a single panel. While other techniques come at the expense of downlink capacity, DmMIMO would produce sizable increases in uplink capacity without sacrificing performance.
DmMIMO allows devices to leverage signal propagation to multiple cells or antenna panels in a network when establishing a link, thereby turning noise into a useful signal and increasing the uplink throughput. The data transmission is pieced together from multiple antenna panels and cell sites through distributed baseband processing. The processing load between the cell site radio units and the central processing unit is split in a novel way, reducing the fronthaul capacity to cell sites and hence lowering the cost.
Nishant Batra, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Nokia, said: “Addressing uplink speeds is becoming critical as consumers are increasingly becoming content creators as well as content consumers, video conferencing has become a cornerstone of the teleworking era, and many of the applications in the industrial internet of things require higher uplink speeds. When 5G-Advanced networks come online, we will see the network enhanced in multiple dimensions, expanding and extending its capabilities. Even today, with the focus on 5G mid-band spectrum rollouts in the U.S., there are opportunities for technologies like this that can maximize available resources. We feel distributed massive MIMO will be a critical element of networking in the 5G-Advanced era to help meet these demands with significant gains in uplink without a hit to downlink performance. Three decades ago, Bell Labs and AT&T invented MIMO, so it is only fitting that we continue this groundbreaking work together for the next generation of MIMO.”
Andre Fuetsch, Executive Vice President & CTO Network Services, AT&T, said: “AT&T and Nokia have a long history of working together on new network technologies, and I welcome this strategic collaboration for the development of distributed massive MIMO technology. Newer applications in the 5G-Advanced timeframe, such as eXtended Reality (XR), are expected to be more demanding on the uplink compared to regular broadband traffic. Technologies such as distributed massive MIMO show potential to improve uplink capacity in the right scenarios. DmMIMO is also a technology that shows potential for the next generation of wireless networks. Therefore, this strategic technology collaboration with Nokia may help provide learnings with long-term benefits to both companies.”
