BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Huawei on Wednesday launched a new generation of mobile phone antennas for its 5G network and expects an acceleration in network upgrades led by the three operators in its huge Chinese market.
Huawei has taken a leading role in the development of the so-called Massive MIMO - or multi-input and output antennas - that feature array of transceivers for the operation of 5G mobile services.
This can achieve faster data transfer speeds by tracking users of nearby smartphones directly, unlike previous “passive” antennas that communicate in a more general - and less efficient - way with their environment.
Unveiled in Zurich, Huawei's third-generation Massive Memo antennas are doubling the bandwidth to 400 MHz and increasing power to 320 watts, allowing coverage in the mid-band frequencies allocated by many countries to 5G services.
"The antennas will be lighter than their predecessors and consume less power," Edward Ding, Huawei wireless business manager, said in a presentation.
This will remove barriers to global deployment in all scenarios, and become a new standard for large-scale 5G deployment, according to Deng. The antennas package uses 7-nanometer chips that are the leading semiconductor technology.
Huawei combines the new generation antennas at its Blade AAU base station, a space-saving package that includes a passive antenna. Allowing operators to save space and operate all their networks from one location.
The Chinese company, a leading provider of 5G networks with a global market share of 28%, says its Massive Mamo technology is more advanced than that offered by rivals led by Ericsson and Nokia.
400,000 base stations have been shipped this year as operators start bidding for 5G networks around the world. It is estimated that 56 carriers have deployed the new networks, of which 40 are now operational.
The telecom industry hopes that 5G networks will launch innovative applications, with Huawei signaling its interest in self-driving cars through cooperation with China Mobile to operate self-driving trucks.
The company, the world's second-largest smartphone maker, earlier reported a 27% rise in third-quarter revenue, driven by a sharp increase in US shipments launched before it was blacklisted.