Verizon, a leading telecom operator in the U.S., has completed the first FDD Massive MIMO trial with a compatible customer device, as part of its 5G strategy.
Telecom equipment maker Ericsson and chipset company Qualcomm Technologies have supported Verizon during the FDD Massive MIMO trial.
Earlier, Verizon deployed FDD Massive MIMO its wireless network in Irvine, California.
Nicola Palmer, chief network engineer and head of Wireless Networks, Verizon, said massive MIMO is a critical component of our 4G LTE Advancements and will play an important role in 5G technology that will result in single digit latency and scalability in the billions of connections.
Verizon used the latest Ericsson Massive MIMO software and hardware on Verizon’s network, along with a mobile test device powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with X20 LTE using TM9 (Transmission Mode 9). TM9 is an enhancement for consumer devices that will make them fully compatible with Massive MIMO.
Joe Glynn, vice president, business development, Qualcomm Technologies, and Niklas Heuveldop, head of Market Area North America, Ericsson, were part of the FDD Massive MIMO trial by Verizon.
Ericsson, a global telecom equipment vendor based in Sweden, is expected to launch Massive MIMO portfolio next year. The launch of smartphones with TM9 compatible chipset are expected to hit the markets in the first half of 2018.
