WIRELESS WORLD RECORD
TEAM ACHIEVES SPECTRUM EFFICIENCY MILESTONE Paul Harris, University of Bristol and Steffen Malkowsky, Lund University
A research team has set a world record for 5G wireless spectrum efficiency using a laboratory massive MIMO testbed.
M
assive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) technology promises to provide huge capacity and energy efficiency gains for future 5G networks, which will have to accommodate increased data rates and the rapid proliferation of smart connected devices without consuming any more of the radio spectrum. Using National Instruments (NI) platforms to develop a 128-antenna, real-time massive MIMO testbed, we were able to use just 20 MHz of spectrum (within the 3.5 GHz band) to simultaneously serve 12 client devices over-the-air, with an aggregate data rate of 1.59 GBps, and set a new world record for 5G wireless spectrum efficiency. The Communication Systems & Networks (CSN) Group at the University of Bristol formed in 1985 to address the research demands of the fixed and wireless communications sectors. It combines fundamental academic research with a strong level of industrial application. The group has well-equipped laboratories
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with state-of-the-art test and measurement equipment and firstclass computational facilities. ‘Bristol Is Open’ (BIO) is a joint venture between the University of Bristol and Bristol City Council, which supports initiatives that contribute to the development of a smart city and the IoT. Lund University seeks to be a world-class university that works to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition. The Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Department (EIT) covers a wide range of research areas in the fields of analog and digital, as well as communications system design. It has been at the forefront of massive MIMO research including massive MIMO theory, channel measurements and accelerator design.
The journey to 5G In addition to mobile phone subscribers, who are predicted to each consume 20 GB per month in North America by 2020, networks will also need to provide broadband internet access to rural areas.
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