Sprint CTO: Massive MIMO ‘secret weapon’ in 4G and 5G plans
Sprint CTO: Massive MIMO ‘secret weapon’ in 4G and 5G plans https://csuiteold.c-suitenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sprint-cto-massive-mimo-secret-weapon-in-4g-and-5g-plans-1030x493-1024x490.png 1024 490 C-Suite Network https://csuiteold.c-suitenetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sprint-cto-massive-mimo-secret-weapon-in-4g-and-5g-plans-1030x493-1024x490.png
Sprint to deploy massive MIMO in six markets starting in April
Working with vendors Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung, Sprint is using massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antennas to increase LTE capacity while setting the stage for a software upgrade to the 5G New Radio standard. Company CTO John Saw discussed the deployment plans during an interview with RCR Wireless News during Mobile World Congress 2018.
“It’s our secret weapon to getting 5G built simultaneously with 4G,” Saw said. “You need two enabling things. One is massive MIMO. I was just in a meeting with [Ericsson] to see if they can do more faster. The second thing is spectrum.” Sprint is tapping its 2.5 GHz spectrum to support the massive MIMO build.
“What we can do,” Saw said, “is we can use the Ericsson massive MIMO radios, split it physically in two, then allocate some spectrum for LTE and 5G, then simultaneously broadcast in both modes. As we add more to the 2.5 GHz, and we densify with LTE and add 5G…
