Vodafone UK and Huawei have conducted further 5G trials, setting up 4×4 MIMO technology in Manchester.
The telcos said the trial of LTE TDD technology would help increase the capacity and efficiency in dense urban areas. It said the use of multi-user beamforming would help support the expected growth in video and virtual reality applications.
Eight way transmit and receive techniques used in the test concentrates and multiplexes network resources between different users, which the telcos said could increase average and edge performances.
Huawei said the combination of MIMO with beamforming would result in the more targeted focus of mobile signals during times of peak usage, as well as minimise interference.
Vodafone UK’s Chief Technology Officer, Jorge Fernandes, said: “We are working hard with our radio network equipment partners to ensure our network is future-proofed for the expected arrival of 5G in four to five years’ time, whilst continually improving our 4G performance for customers throughout the UK.”
Huawei LTE TDD President, Veni Shone, said: “This joint innovation with Vodafone has proved that 4.5G (TDD+) is a good solution to release the potential of TDD spectrum and will help Vodafone build the most advanced LTE network available.”
He added: “This trial proves that LTE TDD with the most recent technologies can be naturally converged with LTE FDD and improve the overall experience enjoyed by all users on the network.”
Earlier this month, Huawei worked with Vodafone Group on a trial of mmwave technology at the operator’s Newbury campus. It used MIMO on the test radio system operating at 70GHz. Multiple users were able to receive data rates of 10GBps each.