ASTRI demonstrates Coherent Joint Transmission (JT) MIMO technologies with Keysight Technologies at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2016

(Hong Kong, 22 February 2016) Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) performs a live demonstration on coherent joint transmission (JT) technology using Fujian Sunnada Network Technology Co. Ltd’s (Sunnada) small cell verified with Keysight Technologies Inc’s Vector Signal Analyzer at Mobile World Congress 2016 being held in Barcelona, Spain.

The demonstration reveals a practical coherent joint transmission realization for LTE and 5G systems. Massive MIMO is one of the key 5G technologies for enhancing the system capacity. Coherent JT shown in this demonstration further enhances the capacity by coherently sending beamforming signal from separated transmission points to the target User Equipment (UE) in distributed MIMO systems. Coherent JT enables distributed beamforming and reduces user interference from highly overlapped cell. This is particularly useful for 5G ultra-dense network (UDN).

The demonstration shows an LTE MIMO beamforming with coherent JT technology using Sunnada’s LTE small cell with 4 distributed antenna units. The system can support up to 64 antennas.  The quality of the beamforming signal is captured and revealed with Keysight PXI vector signal analyzer with 89601B VSA software. Sunnada small cell delivers live video streaming signal to a commercial LTE UE. The downlink LTE waveform are beamformed by multiple distributed antenna units. The antenna units are self-calibrated by the ASTRI’s baseband JT synchronization algorithms to maintain the timing and phase coherence.

Being one of the pioneers in 5G technologies, ASTRI is devoted to developing the massive MIMO technologies for next generation communication systems. ASTRI’s coherent JT algorithm simplifies the deployment and provides foundations for a practical 5G system. Apart from JT algorithm, ASTRI is developing advanced massive MIMO algorithms such as training resource optimizations and pilot contamination mitigation. ASTRI actively involves in establishing its IP portfolio on different 4.5/5G technologies including Ultra Dense Network (UDN), Machine Type Communications (MTC), Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), Device-to-device (D2D), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X). ASTRI is also developing the C-RAN system for enhancing system capacity with coordinated transmission points.

ASTRI has striven to develop LTE research since 2008 and has become a leader in LTE and LTE-Advanced small cell and terminal technologies, providing the first market-ready reference design for small cell and terminal baseband cores supporting both TD-LTE and LTE FDD. ASTRI’s LTE technologies have been employed in partners’ chips and system solutions serving public and private network markets. Its core technologies were successfully transferred to a number of companies.

The demonstration is carried out at Sunnada booth (Hall 5, Stand 5G70) in Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2016, being held at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain, from 22 to 25 February 2016.

MWC