Nokia pioneering distributed massive MIMO with AT&T

The two companies are collaborating on the validation of DmMIMO and testing the proof-of-concept technology in the AT&T Labs. Nokia claims Bell Labs' DmMIMO simulations have demonstrated increases in 5G uplink capacity between 60% and 90% compared to similarly configured systems with a single panel.

Nokia Bell Labs, the research arm of Nokia, is pioneering distributed massive MIMO (DmMIMO) with AT&T to improve 5G uplink capacity amidst enormous demand from new user experiences in the 5G-Advanced era.

"Addressing uplink speeds is becoming critical as consumers are increasingly becoming content creators as well as content consumers, video conferencing has become a cornerstone of the teleworking era, and many of the applications in the industrial internet of things require higher uplink speeds. Three decades ago, Bell Labs and AT&T invented MIMO, so it is only fitting that we continue this groundbreaking work together for the next generation of MIMO," said Nishant Batra, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Nokia.

The two companies are collaborating on the validation of DmMIMO and testing the proof-of-concept technology in the AT&T Labs. Nokia claims Bell Labs' DmMIMO simulations have demonstrated increases in 5G uplink capacity between 60% and 90% compared to similarly configured systems with a single panel.

AT&T Labs is providing expertise in validating new cutting-edge technologies in the lab and in the field. Bell Labs is also benefiting from AT&T Labs' 5G Testbed facilities with rooftops and poles connected by dedicated fiber networks to server racks in a lab environment.

DmMIMO allows devices to leverage signal propagation to multiple cells or antenna panels in a network when establishing a link, thereby turning noise into a useful signal and increasing the uplink throughput. In addition to uplink improvements, the move to DmMIMO has the potential to alter the configuration of networks by facilitating deployments with smaller antenna arrays per site, Nokia said in a statement.

"Technologies such as distributed massive MIMO show potential to improve uplink capacity in the right scenarios. DmMIMO is also a technology that shows potential for the next generation of wireless networks. Therefore, this strategic technology collaboration with Nokia may help provide learnings with long-term benefits to both companies," said Andre Fuetsch, Executive Vice President & CTO Network Services, AT&T.