MTN Nigeria, Huawei deploy commercial sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO site

MTN Nigeria and Huawei have deployed a commercial sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO site. This solution increases low-band LTE traffic by 104%, boosts downlink user-perceived rate by 28%, and reduces physical resource block usage by 8% compared with previous 4T4R equipment, representing significant improvements in network capacity and 4G user experience, Huawei said in a press release. 

Compared with 4T4R, this solution doubles downlink LTE capacity and is capable of a 3.2-fold capacity expansion upon future evolution to NR. It alleviates network congestion and unleashes suppressed traffic, delivering users a more stable, smoother and faster mobile experience, the press release said.

Huawei’s sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO is the first solution in the industry to combine extremely large antenna arrays with wideband technology in the low-band spectrum. This solution enhances low-band spectral efficiency through the efficient integration and coordination of fragmented spectrum resources. It also supports the coexistence of GSM, UMTS, LTE, NR, and NB-IoT, facilitating the seamless evolution of all bands to 5G, Huawei said. 

“Our successful collaboration with Huawei on the commercial debut of sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO has significantly boosted network performance,” Yahaya Ibrahim, CTO of MTN Nigeria, said. “We now deliver faster, more stable connectivity to every user.”  

“The first commercial rollout of sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO validates its ability to significantly enhance spectral efficiency, network coverage, uplink speeds, and energy efficiency while reducing latency,” James Zeng, President of Huawei Wireless FDD Product Line, said. “This milestone paves the way for broader adoption, which will provide stable, reliable connectivity for diverse mobile AI terminals and large numbers of IoT devices.”