5G has developed at a rapid clip since first being commercially deployed three years ago, with network coverage, devices, and users all growing significantly. 5G delivers a more HD and immersive digital experience to consumers, and has accelerated digital transformation across industries. It has improved the way people work as well as the production efficiency of enterprises. In terms of 5G network construction, operators focused on TDD and mmWave development during the initial phase, but recently TDD+FDD convergence has been the mode of choice for most operators. Moving forward, all connections and services will need to adapt to 5G to remain relevant, and so will all bands. Huawei has developed the One 5G concept and solutions to maximize the capabilities of all bands, and facilitate seamless coordination between bands, which lays the groundwork for the construction of efficient and cost-effective 5G networks.

MetaAAU with ELAA Improves TDD Uplink and Downlink Coverage While Reducing Energy Consumption

Combination of TDD high bandwidth and Massive MIMO has enabled cross-generation 5G experience. The urgent need to provide better coverage and higher capacity with lower energy consumption has inspired a range of new TDD Massive MIMO solutions.

Huawei's MetaAAU boosts performance and energy efficiency to new levels, by making use of extremely large antenna array (ELAA) technology, as well as innovative software and hardware, such as algorithms and architectures. MetaAAU has been deployed at scale around the world, with the delivery of more than 100,000 pieces thus far. It has been proven to boost uplink and downlink user experience by 30% given the same amount of power consumption, and ensure the same level of coverage while consuming 30% less energy.

Products with higher bandwidth will be a must-have for operators to fulfill the C-band allocation needs and simplify the ultra-high bandwidth deployment. Huawei's brand-new 800 MHz MetaAAU enables simplified network deployment on the 3400 MHz to 3800 MHz bands, and the 3800 MHz to 4200 MHz bands to be allocated as well. For scenarios with limited antenna installation space, Huawei provides Meta BladeAAU, which combines Meta and Blade technologies in a unique way, to allow for easy deployment of MetaAAU and all sub-3 GHz bands on a single pole, making it ideal for single-antenna scenarios.

Ultra-wideband and Multi-antenna Technologies Simplify Deployment with Fragmented FDD Spectrum and Improve Spectral Efficiency

Legacy FDD bands will continue to evolve to 5G. This process creates challenges due to the fragmented spectrum, narrow-band spectrum, and multi-RAT co-existence. Huawei has been upgrading its ultra-wideband and multi-antenna solution series to help operators simplify deployment, improve spectral efficiency, and guarantee a high-level user experience on 5G as well as existing RATs.

Huawei's ultra-wideband 4T4R RRU supports simplified deployment of 700–900 MHz and 1.8–2.6/1.4 GHz multi-band networks, and millisecond-level power sharing across all carriers, bands, and RATs, which reduces power consumption by 30% while ensuring the same level of GU coverage. Another Huawei product, dual-band 8T8R RRU that supports both the 1.8 GHz and 2.1 GHz bands, can increase 4G and 5G network capacity by 1.5 and 3 times, respectively. When used with the 8T8R native antennas of the Hertz platform, 8T8R RRU is able to reduce energy consumption by 15% thanks to the signal direct injection feeding (SDIF) technology. For scenarios requiring a large capacity, Huawei provides FDD Massive MIMO AAU, which can increase 4G and 5G network capacity by 3 and 5 times, respectively, enhancing 4G and 5G performance. This product has been commercially deployed at scale on over 70 networks around the world. For single-pole scenarios, Huawei provides the FDD BladeAAU solution, which is the industry's first to combine FDD Massive MIMO AAUs and sub-3 GHz passive antennas. It allows for simple deployment on one pole.

LampSite and RuralLink Solutions Enable Ubiquitous 5G

Considering that 70% of wireless network traffic comes from the indoor scenarios, Huawei has developed the LampSite 5.0 solution that features TDD+FDD multi-band and multi-RAT combination. The new setup reduces hardware weight and volume by 25% and slashes power consumption by 40%, thanks to a highly-cohesive design. In addition, mmWave is introduced for the LampSite solution to deliver indoor 10 Gbps capacity based on a distributed architecture and ultra-large bandwidth.

The company has also launched the RuralLink solution that is designed for remote areas. With this solution, a single 4T4R RRU and antenna are all that's needed to provide rural coverage for three sectors, and microwave fronthaul can be deployed without the need for BBUs to achieve inter-site distance of more than 20 km. Thanks to its simplified design and ultra-low power consumption, only 6 solar panels are enough to power a single site and remote O&M is supported.

Better Mobility and Lower Propagation Loss Allow for the Large-Scale Commercial Deployment of mmWave in Outdoor Hotspots and Indoor Scenarios

mmWave spectrum resources are abundant, and more than 140 operators have obtained access to the high-bandwidth spectrum. Outdoor hotspots and indoor environments are typical application scenarios of mmWave. However, mmWave signals are hampered by poor mobility and high propagation loss, hindering the large-scale commercial use of mmWave.

In outdoor hotspot scenarios, Huawei's mmWave solution uses high equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and ELAA hardware to improve mmWave coverage. It also makes use of iBeam and intelligent high- and low-band coordination algorithm to achieve precise beam alignment and fast tracking. Tests under continuous networking reveal that a seamless high user-perceived rate can be delivered in moving vehicles and indoor environments along streets, when Huawei's mmWave solution is used.

In indoor scenarios, Huawei's LampSite 5.0, which incorporates 800 MHz mmWave, C-band, and the 1.8 GHz band, works seamlessly with the distributed architecture, providing an ultra-large capacity of more than 10 Gbps. These new capabilities will also make indoor connections seamless while unlocking the full potential of mmWave.

IntelligentRAN Empowers Intelligent 5G Networks

As all bands evolve to 5G, intelligent networks are needed to support a diverse array of services and needs, enhance multi-RAT O&M efficiency, and balance user experience with the need to minimize network energy consumption. Huawei's IntelligentRAN architecture achieves layered intelligence to help operators reduce network O&M costs, open network capabilities, and create more business opportunities.

In addition, the combination of IntelligentRAN and One 5G all-band solutions unlocks the full potential of all bands including TDD, FDD, and mmWave, and facilitates in-depth all-band coordination for better network performance and lower power consumption, following the principle: Bands Work As One and Networks Work As One.

"This is the best of times," concluded Mr. Yang. "5G is entering a new era. Let's continue 5G innovation with the goal of fulfilling the vision of reshaping the world with 5G, and stride towards a future of intelligence."

The Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2022 is hosted by Huawei, together with its industry partners GSMA and GTI. This annual forum gathers mobile network carriers, vertical industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from around the world to discuss how to make 5G a commercial success, as well as other high-priority industry topics like green development, intelligence, and 5G evolution. For more information, please visit:

https://www.huawei.com/en/events/mbbf2022.