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28 Feb 2017

Electronics

UK trials of massive MIMO bring 5G communications closer to reality

Highly efficient 5G wireless networks are a step closer to reality, following UK trials of an important technology.

The development could enable faster video downloads, even in large crowds, cars that communicate with their surroundings, and wider utilisation of the internet of things

The trials, a collaboration between researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Lund in Sweden, National Instruments (NI) and BT, were held to test the potential of massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) systems.

Massive MIMO systems, which are expected to become a vital component of 5G networks, are capable of sending and receiving more than one data signal simultaneously over the same radio channel.

The systems are designed to increase the data rates possible with wireless technology while conserving bandwidth and power, according to Mark Beach, Professor of Radio Systems Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Bristol University, who led the research team.

“We re-use the same radio channel, at the same time, for multiple users, connected to the same base station,” said Beach.

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