The field test, conducted jointly by ZTE and a partner, demonstrated up to a ninefold increase in data throughput at the cell edge through the use of D-MIMO technology based on ZTE's patented Radio Cloud solution. The outdoor portion of the test covered single-user and multi-user scenarios in an environment with multiple overlapping base stations, and utilized commercially available mobile device terminals.
The coherent joint transmission (JT) technology used in ZTE's new D-MIMO system ensures perfect phase synchronization between base stations. The resulting jointly transmitted signal is amplified to its maximum level as it reaches a user terminal's antenna, minimizing interference with other terminals. Compared to the previous non-coherent JT technology, coherent JT provides an additional 3 dB of gain at the antenna of a target user terminal and a directional null at the antennas of other user terminals to minimize signal interference, achieving multi-user joint transmission (MU-JT).
As a mobile communications system that typically contains many base stations, interference causes degraded signaling at the cell edge, impacting the user experience. D-MIMO technology can effectively improve data rates at the cell edge through coordinated transmission between base stations, solving a major challenge for operators.
The results of the D-MIMO cover test show that MU-JT technology can create a null direction for multiple users to ensure effective multi-user co-transmission in a small, enclosed space. The service data rate of a single test cell has been at least quadrupled under ideal, interference-free conditions, and several test cells have shown interference resistance improvements of over a hundredfold.
The success of D-MIMO further reinforces ZTE's first-mover advantage in developing next-generation radio access technologies. In 2012, ZTE introduced its Cloud Radio solution for dynamically coordinating transmission networks and optimizing cell edge performance.
ZTE is also a world leader in the development of massive MIMO technologies, demonstrating increased data rates at both the core and edge of a cell through greater spectral efficiency. Massive MIMO technology can be seamlessly deployed alongside the Cloud radio solution and is part of ZTE's Pre5G solution, which emulates the behavior of future 5G networks on existing 4G LTE network infrastructure.
This month, ZTE announced the opening of a new research and development (R&D) center in Tokyo, to further strengthen the company's global research in 5G and other next-generation network technologies.
