Telia Completes Field Trial in Upper 6 GHz Spectrum With Massive MIMO Radio

Telia Completes Field Trial in Upper 6 GHz Spectrum With Massive MIMO Radio
Telia has completed a field pilot in the upper 6 GHz spectrum band range with Nokia in an effort to bolster capacity and coverage at existing macro cell sites in dense urban environments for future 5G-Advanced and 6G networks. The trial, which utilised Nokia’s AirScale Habrok radio and Massive MIMO antenna, showcased the potential for network evolution when 5G-Advanced and 6G networks become available, the official release said.

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Utilising Upper 6 GHz Spectrum

Nokia said with increasing traffic growth and demand for mobile broadband, operators are seeking ways to keep pace and deliver capacity and coverage where needed. New 5G-Advanced and 6G use cases will only add to this demand. Recognising this, the allocation of the upper 6 GHz spectrum for mobile services has gained traction following agreements at the World Radio Conference 2023.

During the trial, Nokia used a 128TRX Massive MIMO radio based on its AirScale Habrok platform and a test terminal from MediaTek with integrated antennas. The pilot examined whether the uplink coverage on the new, higher frequency is compatible with the existing inter-site distances. The companies tested the upper part of the band (n104) and used a 3.5 GHz massive MIMO cell of the same RF bandwidth across various distances to replicate different real-world scenarios.

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Macro-Grid Readiness and Capacity Expansion

Field tests confirmed the macro-grid readiness of the upper 6 GHz spectrum used with Massive MIMO. It showed that massive capacity can be added in urban areas, where there is a higher demand for TDD broadband, and high throughput can be achieved in suburban or rural areas. This offers operators an evolution path to 5G-Advanced and 6G, in the future, the technology partners said in a joint statement.