Huawei Tests High-Speed LTE 4X4 LTE MIMO Network

By Doug Lung
published


The benefits of MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) technology are well established in 802.11n wireless systems, and offers the potential to increase the capacity of LTE wireless systems without requiring additional spectrum. On Tuesday, March 27, Huawei announced "the successful execution of the world's first LTE 4×4 MIMO field trial in the network of Deutsche Telekom." The LTE network used in the field trial operated at 1.8 GHz and provided download data rates up to 250 Mbps. The system used Huawei's SingleRAN LTE solution. A 4x4 MIMO system requires four transmit antennas (not difficult) and four isolated receive antennas, which is more difficult achieve in a compact smartphone or tablet. No details were provided on the device used to connect to the Deutsche Telekom base station.

Earlier this month Huawei introduced Beyond LTE Technology for 30 Gbps. Huawei said it was able to achieve this data rate with "key breakthroughs in antenna structure, radio frequency architecture, IF (intermediate frequency) algorithms, and multi-user MIMO (multi-input multi-output)."


Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.