Verizon expanding from 4×4 MIMO with new project in Irvine, California
Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) is seen as a key technology in the continued evolution of LTE networks as well as future 5G networks. In the dozens of gigabit LTE deployments around the world, 4×4 MIMO, along with multi-channel carrier aggregation and 256 QAM, is helping deliver speeds upward of 100 Mbps to users with compatible devices. With a new deployment in California, Verizon is working with Ericsson to further boost network capacity and spectral efficiency with massive MIMO.
In Irvine, Calif., Verizon and Ericsson used a 20 megahertz channel of AWS spectrum to support 16 radios connected to an array of 96 antennas. According to Verizon, the increased number of transmitters “enables more possible signal paths” and “beamforming, which directs the beam from the cell site directly to where the customer is.”
Chief Network Officer Nicola Palmer said the roll out of massive MIMO will bring “very tangible benefits for our customers today. As we innovate, we learn and continue to lay the groundwork and set the standards for 5G technology.”
With its 5G Technology Forum, the mobile oeprator has been pushing for the rapid standardization and commercialization of 5G. One piece of this is what the carrier calls the “Verizon Intelligent Edge Network.” Massive MIMO, in the context of the mobile edge, better “processes data where it’s generated.”
Earlier this month at the Qualcomm 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong, Verizon SVP Ed Chan discussed the carriers 5G goals: “Verizon has been working closely with Qualcomm Technologies and other technology leaders to accelerate a global 5G specification to help usher in the next generation of wireless innovation for customers. He said “investment in mmWave spectrum has given us the flexibility to pursue a first-of its kind fixed wireless broadband customer trial, which has been invaluable in advancing our expertise in the deployment of mmWave technology. With the collaboration we’re announcing today, we are taking the next logical step towards extending our leadership position in the advancement of 5G, part of the Verizon Intelligent Edge Network.”
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