The over-the-air (OTA) performance of the Nokia Massive MIMO radio operating in the upper 6 GHz frequency range—a band that will add critical capacity to existing cell sites to support 5G-Advanced and 6G networks—has been validated by VIAVI Solutions’ NITRO Wireless test portfolio.
Future wireless technology generations must prioritize enabling the usage of new frequency bands with the necessary capacity, coverage, performance, and efficiency as 5G applications strain the available spectrum. In the second part of the decade, operators will need to expand their holdings of TDD mid-band spectrum, according to Nokia.
At the 2023 World Radio Conference, it was decided to reserve the upper 6 GHz spectrum for mobile services, which entails a potential 200 MHz of mid-band TDD spectrum per operator.
Nokia and VIAVI set up a proof of concept at Nokia’s Otava facility in Oulu, Finland, to evaluate the AirScale platform’s performance in the upper 6 GHz band in settings that were recreated from real life.
Based on the Nokia AirScale Habrok platform, the Nokia system being tested featured a 128TRX Nokia Massive MIMO radio set up at the upper n104 band (6425–7125 MHz).
The following were included in VIAVI NITRO Wireless test solution:
- TM500 Network Tester, the flagship platform used by network equipment manufacturers worldwide for early functional, system integration, capacity, performance, and regression testing of base stations.
- OneAdvisor 800 spectrum and signal analyzer, to verify signals transmitted in the downlink for conformance testing and analysis of the 5G channels, including RF characterization, beamforming, timing and synchronization over the air and overall radio base station transmission performance.
The following test cases validated upper 6 GHz OTA performance:
- Spectrum analysis and peak throughput validation of one Component Carrier (1CC), and two Component Carriers (2CC) with downlink and uplink Carrier Aggregation (CA)
- Performance and capacity validation with hundreds of emulated User Equipment (UEs) and real-world data traffic applications.
This proof of concept expanded on earlier Nokia lab and field tests, concentrating on the OTA performance of the Nokia Massive MIMO radio in the upper 6 GHz band in practical settings and confirming its ability to facilitate the creation and rollout of 5G-Advanced and 6G networks.
Leadership Comments
“VIAVI is honored to have been selected for such a ground-breaking milestone in wireless technology,” said Manuel Mato, Regional Vice President, Europe Middle East and Africa, VIAVI. “As the industry continues to transition from 4G to 5G, and on to 5G-A and 6G, VIAVI is ready to partner with network equipment manufacturers and operators at every stage.”
