Ericsson has announced a 5G air interface initiative that it says will improve reliability and performance and address IoT and ‘Internet of Skills’ applications, as well as catering for the growing smartphone population.
In what it says is an industry first Ericsson is demonstrating “new advanced multipoint connectivity with distributed MIMO” that “connects 5G mobile device to multiple 5G radio sites, delivering several MIMO streams.”
According to Ericsson, “Multipoint Connectivity with Distributed MIMO involves very sophisticated signalling methods, which are not part of today’s LTE standards, to control the mobile device’s interaction with the network. So, while LTE technology is evolving to become an integral part of tomorrow’s 5G networks, 5G will also include innovative new air interfaces (including signalling, modulation schemes and other software-driven innovations) between the device and the network.”
Partners wanted
Ericsson has labelled its new 5G air interface technology ‘NX’ and is inviting mobile operators, eco-system partners, academia, tech media and analysts to “experience the future of mobile communications” at its live 5G test networks in Stockholm, Sweden and Plano, Texas.
Håkan Andersson, 5G strategic product manager in Ericsson’s Radio business unit, said: “To be ready for commercial networks in 2020, 5G research and development now has to come out of the labs and into live test networks. Multipoint Connectivity with Distributed MIMO, supported on Ericsson’s 5G air interface, is just the latest example of 5G initiatives moving into live test network implementation.”
