Massive MIMO Comes of Age in 2021 on the Back of 5G Rollout Momentum
February 21, 2018 | ABI ResearchEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Massive MIMO (multiple-in, multiple-out) antennas stand ready to deliver on the promise of cost-effective delivery of capacity density in LTE networks now and set the stage for 5G networks to come. ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies, recently released a report which outlines the huge advantages in energy efficiency, spectral efficiency, and resistance to adverse fading in the channel offered by these massive MIMO antenna systems. The company also discusses the limitations of practical massive MIMO systems which restrict massive MIMO uptake to specific deployment scenarios.
“The optimum massive MIMO system will balance these challenges with the promise of increased sector capacity, and improved radiated energy efficiency,” says Nick Marshall, Research Director at ABI Research. “We believe that the radio propagation characteristics in the sub-6 GHz bands remain the most favorable for massive MIMO today for many scenarios and that future 5G millimeter wave massive MIMO systems will become essential for unprecedented levels of spectral efficiency and capacity density.”
In 2017, Softbank (Japan), T-Mobile Netherland and Vodafone UK all have announced commercial deployments. Also, major operators globally have started massive MIMO trials or limited deployments in 2017 and are planning commercial deployments in 2018. Among these operators are Sprint, Deutsche Telekom, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Singtel, T-Mobile Netherland, Vodafone Australia, Optus, and Telefónica.
Growing from a small number today, massive MIMO penetration for both LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G will reach almost 5% of the worldwide MIMO enabled antenna installed base by 2021. This is equivalent to nearly 500,000 installations with the Asia Pacific being the largest region followed by Western Europe and North America.
The massive MIMO vendor ecosystem includes major multi-national radio and antenna vendors such as CommScope, Ericsson, Huawei, Kathrein, Nokia, and ZTE. This ecosystem also comprises innovative start-up companies such as Anokiwave, Blue Danube, and Pivotal Commware.
These findings are from ABI Research’s The Rise of Massive MIMO report. This report is part of the company’s Mobile Network Infrastructure research service, which includes research, data, and analyst insights.
About ABI Research
ABI Research provides strategic guidance for visionaries needing market foresight on the most compelling transformative technologies, which reshape workforces, identify holes in a market, create new business models and drive new revenue streams. ABI’s own research visionaries take stances early on those technologies, publishing groundbreaking studies often years ahead of other technology advisory firms. ABI analysts deliver their conclusions and recommendations in easily and quickly absorbed formats to ensure proper context. Our analysts strategically guide visionaries to take action now and inspire their business to realize a bigger picture. For more information click here.
Suggested Items
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2024: AI Implementation at Omron
04/18/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOEditor Nolan Johnson and Omron Product Manager Nick Fieldhouse discuss the company's focus on AI implementation to enhance customer experience and results. They address programming challenges and how AI can help customers achieve better outcomes with less experience. Omron's AI is compatible with existing systems, facilitating easy upgrades.
Cadence Unveils Palladium Z3 and Protium X3 Systems
04/18/2024 | Cadence Design SystemsThe Palladium Z3 and Protium X3 systems offer increased capacity, and scale from job sizes of 16 million gates up to 48 billion gates, so the largest SoCs can be tested as a whole rather than just partial models, ensuring proper functionality and performance.
Australian Flow Batteries and The SCHMID Group Announce Groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding
04/17/2024 | SCHMID GroupAustralian Flow Batteries Pty Ltd (AFB), a leader in innovative energy solutions and economical, safe, and reliable power storage, and SCHMID Energy Systems GmbH a company of the German SCHMID Group, a global technology leader with a rich history in delivering innovative solutions across multiple industries including Electronics, Renewables, and Energy Storage sectors, are thrilled to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
Ansys Joins BAE Systems’ Mission Advantage Program to Advance Digital Engineering Across US Department of Defense
04/16/2024 | ANSYSAnsys announced it is working with BAE Systems, Inc., to accelerate the adoption of digital engineering and MBSE across the Department of Defense (DoD).
Designing Electronics for High Thermal Loads
04/16/2024 | Akber Roy, Rush PCB Inc.Developing proactive thermal management strategies is important in the early stages of the PCB design cycle to minimize costly redesign iterations. Here, I delve into key aspects of electronic design that hold particular relevance for managing heat in electronic systems. Each of these considerations plays a pivotal role in enhancing the reliability and performance of the overall system.