Nokia and China Mobile have conducted a trial of Centralized RAN technology within a TD-LTE network at the Beilun Stadium in Ningbo, China. The demo at the sports stadium was intended to showcase how the combination of both technologies can meet the high-speed, high-bandwidth demands generated by big sporting and entertainment events.
According to Huawei, spectators at stadium events are increasingly expecting the same level of mobile connectivity they have in the home as they share pictures and videos via social media or upload content to the cloud.
The Centralized RAN on TD-LTE monitored the signals of up to six radio cells, combining those of the best four to communicate with subscribers’ devices and turn interference into useful traffic. Some 6,000 spectators inside the stadium were provided with an exceptional high-quality, high-speed mobile experience, with upload speeds improved by 62 percent compared to existing TD-LTE networks in high-traffic locations.
Nokia claims that during peak usage times, devices were receiving data at speeds of 12 megabits per second (Mbps) or more, allowing users to use webchat applications and upload pictures without service degradation. The power efficiency of their devices was also improved by up to 33 percent.
Nokia’s Centralized RAN technology can be deployed via software upgrade to an existing Flexi Multiradio 10 Base station network, said Nokia.
