Huawei unveils next-generation LTE base station

Telecoms giant Huawei has launched the first large-scale commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) eNodeB base station aimed at helping to spur the deployment of LTE networks.

The fourth-generation unit uses two transmitters and two receivers, and supports Quadrature Amplitude Modulation and Multiple Input Multiple Output technology, allowing for downlink rates of up to 150Mbit/s in commercial LTE networks.

"It is a great milestone in the development of LTE technology. Based on our fourth-generation base station platform, this LTE eNodeB will enable operators worldwide to offer high-quality LTE services immediately, and accelerate the maturity of the LTE industry," said Wan Biao, president of wireless at Huawei.

The eNodeB is also designed to form part of a self-organising network. When new cells are added they, and the LTE base stations around them, are automatically configured and optimised to provide the best possible coverage.

This approach can help ease the rollout of next-generation wireless data access platforms by allowing operators to gradually introduce the new technology at a steady pace.

The architecture is designed to get the most out of the ultra-wide bandwidth available to LTE networks, helping to cope with the growing demand for mobile broadband and especially high-bandwidth applications such as streaming video and videoconferencing.

Huawei is heavily involved in the development and deployment of both LTE and WiMax, working with China Mobile and other operators around the globe on field tests and trials, as well as recently deploying the world's first commercial LTE network in Norway with TeliaSonera.