ZTE and China Mobile complete test of world's first pre5G Massive MIMO base station

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, announced that the company successfully completed pre-commercial field testing of the world's first pre5G 3D/Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) base stations in partnership with China Mobile, accelerating the deployment of this next-generation technology.

Using ZTE's latest 64-port/128 antenna 3D/Massive MIMO base station, with a much higher PDSCH beam forming gain, the test shows an excellent coverage enhancement for tall buildings, with improvement for indoor reception. This further demonstrated the superiority of the new technology over existing intelligent antennae in complicated multi-path urban and indoor areas, as well as open rural areas.

The new ZTE solution is enabled by the company's high-performance vector processor SOC chipset, and brings 3D/Massive MIMO, a key technology for 5G, closer to commercial reality.

The CTO of ZTE's Wireless Division, DrXiang Jiying, said: "As the number of antennae is 10 times more, 3D/Massive MIMO had appeared to be a distant pipe-dream. However, the test indicates we are taking a big step forward to realise the new technology using 4G handsets. This is a result of a number of innovations, and is in line with the pre5G concept previously proposed by ZTE. We will continue to deliver pre5G features to offer 5G-like experience before 5G standardisation."

The vice-president of China Mobile Research Institute, Huang Yuhong, said: "The pre-commercial field test of ZTE 3D/Massive MIMO was impressive and exceeded our expectations. This will definitely accelerate the pace of qualification and commercial deployment, and reinforce the advantages of TDD technology. China Mobile will continue to strengthen our partnership with ZTE in the development of 3D/Massive MIMO and other 5G technologies."

Dr Liu Guangyi, from China Mobile Research Institute, who participated in the test, said: "This test enhances our confidence in advancing 3D/Massive MIMO ahead of the expected schedule. In addition, after the test, we also uncovered some new scenarios for 3D/Massive MIMO."

3D/Massive MIMO, using the multi-antenna technology, improves wireless spectrum efficiency exponentially, increases network coverage and system capacity, and helps telecom operators maximise the use of existing site locations and spectrum resources. According to the simulation, the throughput can be four to six times higher. ZTE attaches high importance to the research and development of 5G products, and has achieved breakthrough developments in a series of key technologies. In particular, ZTE has achieved excellent performance in backward compatibility with 4G, forward service of 5G, product commercial capability, antenna design, engineering convenience, and system performance. 3D/Massive MIMO not only supports China Mobile's mainstream 4G frequency bands, but is also compatible with existing commercial terminals.

As a leading provider of 4G in the industry, ZTE has been dedicated to innovations, making continuous efforts on 5G research, and preparing for commercial 5G products. The successful commercial test of 3D/Massive MIMO again presents ZTE's rich accumulations in researches of key 5G technologies, and further practices the commercial concept of pre5G.