Huawei launches all-band 5G series

Huawei has released the One 5G concept and set of solutions designed to facilitate the evolution of all bands of mobile communications to 5G.

The new programme was announced at the Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2022 (MBBF2022). Huawei said 5G has developed rapidly in terms of network coverage, devices and user scale, delivering a more “HD and immersive” digital experience to consumers, and has accelerated digital transformation across industries. It has improved the way people work and the production efficiency of industries.

The company added that 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 choice for most operators and that, moving forward, all connections and services will evolve to 5G, and so will all bands.

Huawei said it has developed the One 5G concept and solutions to maximise the capabilities of all bands, and facilitate in-depth coordination between bands, laying the groundwork for the construction of efficient and cost-effective 5G networks.

“5G has been commercialised for three years – the future calls for the evolution of all bands to 5G,” said Yang Chaobin, president of Huawei ICT Products & Solutions and Huawei Wireless Solution (pictured above) at the event. “Huawei’s All-Band 5G Solution series will help customers build 5G networks with optimal performance, ultimate experiences and minimal energy consumption.”

The new system is designed to improve TDD uplink and downlink coverage while reducing energy consumption. While noting that to date the combination of TDD high bandwidth and massive MIMO has enabled cross-generation 5G experience, Huawei said it was important to provide better coverage and higher capacity with lower energy consumption, which has inspired a series of new TDD massive MIMO solutions, and that products with wider bandwidth will be a must-have for operators to fulfil new band allocation needs and simplify the ultra-wide bandwidth deployment.

Huawei has advanced its MetaAAU antenna array unit technology to boost performance and energy efficiency to new levels, by making use of extremely large antenna array (ELAA) technology, as well as “innovative” software and hardware coordination. MetaAAU has been deployed at scale around the world and Huawei said it has been proven to boost uplink and downlink coverage and user experience, while consuming less energy.

The new 800MHz MetaAAU supports current deployment on C-band and enables simplified deployment on future new spectrum. For scenarios with limited antenna installation space, Huawei is also providing Meta BladeAAU technology, which is said to combine Meta and Blade technologies in a unique way, to allow for easy deployment of MetaAAU and all sub-3GHz bands on a single pole, making it ideal for single-antenna scenarios.

The company noted that as legacy FDD mobile communications bands continue to evolve to 5G, this process may meet challenges from the fragmented spectrum of narrow-band and co-existence of multi-RATs (radio access technologies). The company has now introduced ultra-wideband and multi-antenna technologies designed to simplify deployment with fragmented FDD spectrum and improve spectral efficiency.

Huawei has been upgrading its ultra-wideband and multi-antenna systems series to help operators simplify deployment, improve spectral efficiency, and provide high-level user experience for all RATs. Huawei's ultra-wideband 4T4R RRU supports simplified multi-band network deployment on 700-900MHz or 1.8–2.6/1.4GHz, and millisecond-level power sharing across all carriers, bands and RATs, which reduces power consumption while ensuring GU coverage.

Noting that 70% of wireless network traffic comes from indoor scenarios, Huawei has developed the LampSite 5.0, which features a TDD+FDD multi-band and multi-RAT combination. The design of LampSite 5.0 is intended to reduce hardware weight and volume while reducing power consumption. Also, mmWave is introduced for LampSite to deliver indoor 10Gbps capacity based on ultra-wide bandwidth and distributed architecture.

Huawei has also launched the RuralLink system, which is designed for remote areas. With this technology, a single RRU and antenna are all that is needed to provide rural coverage for three sectors, and microwave fronthaul can save BBU deployment on the site. The inter-site distance between the RuralLink site and the host site is up to 20km. With simplified design and ultra-low power consumption, only six solar panels are enough to power a single site and remote O&M is supported.

In outdoor hotspot scenarios, Huawei's new mmWave system makes use of iBeam and intelligent high- and low-band coordination algorithm to achieve precise beam alignment and fast tracking. Performance under continuous networking reveals that a continuous high user-perceived rate can be delivered in moving vehicles and indoor environments along streets. In indoor scenarios, Huawei's LampSite 5.0, supporting 800MHz mmWave, C-band, and the 1.8GHz band, works with the distributed architecture, providing an ultra-large capacity of more than 10Gbps.

Huawei believes that as all communications bands evolve to 5G, intelligent networks will be needed to support the requirements of diversified services, enhance multi-RAT O&M efficiency, and balance user experience and energy consumption.

With layered intelligence architecture, Huawei says its IntelligentRAN can help operators reduce network O&M costs, open network capabilities, and create more business opportunities, and thar the combination of One 5G all-band solutions and IntelligentRAN unlocks the full potential of all bands, including TDD, FDD and mmWave, and facilitates all-band coordination for better network performance and lower power consumption.

The overarching principle will be that bands work as one and networks work as one. “This is the best of times,” said 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 the intelligent world.”