IRVINE, CA – Verizon and Ericsson have teamed up on their first deployment of FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) Massive MIMO (Multiple Input – Multiple Output) on Verizon’s wireless network in Irvine.
The companies said that the move is a major stepping stone towards 5G service. The Massive MIMO deployment will improve spectral and energy efficiency, increasing network capacity for current devices in the market, continues the announcement. Other network enhancements are expected to provide higher and more consistent speeds for using apps and uploading and downloading files.
Running on a 20 MHz block of AWS spectrum, the Massive MIMO deployment involved 16 transceiver radio units driving an array of 96 antenna elements supplied by Ericsson.
“While continuing to drive 5G development, the deployment of Massive MIMO offers 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,” said Verizon Wireless’ chief network officer Nicola Palmer, in the announcement. “Our collaboration with Ericsson on this new deployment continues to drive industry-wide innovation and advancements.”
“Massive MIMO is a key technology enabler for 5G, but already today, 4G LTE service providers and end users can benefit from the superior capacity and network performance this technology enables”, added Niklas Heuveldop, head of market area North America at Ericsson. “The current trial is an important step in the collaboration we have with Verizon to prepare their network for 5G.”
