ZTE Corporation, a leading player in the global information and communication industry, has showcased its latest 5G solution of millimeter wave AAU featured with ultra-large-bandwidth. Under bilateral cooperation, this marvelous progress was witnessed in Bangkok, Thailand. As the first ultra-large bandwidth supporting 1.2 GHz in the world, the newly announced mmwave AAU can reach a maximum bandwidth of 1.6 GHz.
ZTE's Cooperation with AIS
AIS is the largest mobile operator in Thailand, with approximately 50% of the country's mobile business, and with a vision to be the most respected digital service provider in Thailand. It focuses on providing quality products and services to enhance customer intimacy through the best customer experience. In order to provide quality services to customers in both mobile and fixed networks, AIS started its construction of the FTTx network at the end of 2014 and launched fixed network operations under the brand name "AIS Fiber" in 2015. AIS has rapidly emerged as the fourth largest fixed-line operator in Thailand. Over the past two years, AIS has embarked on a 5G journey with an aim to drive and accelerate its digital transformation.
ZTE, as one of the key enablers of digital transformation in 5G industry, has helped to boost AIS' digital transformation goals.
In June 2022, ZTE and AIS signed a strategic cooperation agreement. According to the agreement, ZTE has become a full strategic partner of AIS and it supports AIS in upgrading key technologies such as 5G, thereby improving network quality and providing AIS customers with a superior user experience. At the same time, ZTE also worked with AIS to develop innovations that would put Thailand at the forefront of the digital economy.
In doing so, a series of measures have been rolled out. First, in terms of technological leadership, ZTE and AIS have built the first "A-Z Center" in Thailand to serve as a hub for exploring, validating, and deploying the latest 5G technologies. In March 2022, AIS, together with Qualcomm and ZTE, completed the world's 5G NR-DC (New Radio Dual Connectivity) in the field with 2.6GHz and 26GHz, achieving 8.5Gbps peak downlink speed and 2.17Gbps peak uplink speed with a single mobile device. This implementation will help unlock more of 5G's potential to meet the diverse needs of AIS consumers and clients. Second, on the business side, ZTE has worked with AIS to develop business enablement solutions to utilize 5G technology in vertical industries, and therefore customized products are needed to support on-demand self-service for enterprises. ZTE 5G private network service can help AIS tap into new B2B markets. Starting with building smart factories, ZTE is moving to more general smart campus solutions. Third, in terms of fiber optic network, since 5G connectivity is the foundation of AIS's digital transformation, ZTE has committed to building the best 5G network for AIS in Thailand and upgrading AIS's 5G network to a self-intelligent network that can be managed precisely and autonomously.
Prominent Achievements in Ultra-high-bandwidth mmWave AAU
Millimeter wave application is an important part of the "New Infrastructure". It is also a necessary tool for operators to meet the industry's competence requirements. At present, enterprises in the industry chain are accelerating product and technology research through pilot trials. On the one hand, ZTE has been working on key 5G technologies and solutions, from channel modeling of different scenarios to analysis of different system architectures and product implementation to OTA testing solutions. It also has introduced a variety of feasible and efficient solutions to address key technological issues concerning millimeter waves. On the other hand, it has also fully participated in various tests of millimeter wave products conducted by ICT and operators. Facts show that the coverage performance has significantly improved after utilizing ZTE's millimeter wave 5G solutions.
Generally, the NR-DC was implemented together with 1.2 Ghz bandwidth mmWave, with one 100MHz carrier in 2.6GHz and four 200MHz in 26GHz respectively. The highest speed rate of one-way sector MUs reaches 22.01 Gbps in downlink and 4.32 Gbps in the uplink, both are over the average number, revealing NR-DC's prominent capability and flexibility to cater to the diverse demands of consumers and enterprise leaders. It seems to be common that many of the operators resort to mmWave spectrum surmounts 1 GHz since the millimeter wave can provide abundant optic resources. Boasted with its ultra-large bandwidth and great capacity, ZTE's mmWave AAU will take advantage of the great potential of millimeter wave resources and bring benefits to 5G operators.
The largest number of occupied bandwidths of traditional millimeter waves is 1800 MHz. Therefore, it is costly for operators to develop it. In contrast, the new millimeter-wave of ultra-high speed launched by ZTE can meet larger demand and be more economical. Equipped with mmWavw optic resources with 1.2 GHz speed, AIS can make full use of them. Meanwhile, it can exploit its remarkable network competence.
5G is not just a technology, it can also support low latency and massive IoT connectivity, bringing more value to enterprise customers. With the world's fastest-growing economies, the Asia-Pacific region has been active in promoting digital transformation. As the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, Thailand has developed the "Thailand 4.0" plan to develop digital infrastructure.
Looking forward, ZTE and AIS hope to empower thousands of industries and drive digital transformation through 5G networks. Many achievements can be found at the A-Z Innovation Center, including 5G industrial natural navigation AGV, 5G machine vision, 5G XR Explorer, 5G holography, and other 5G industry applications. Both ZTE and AIS will give full play to their advantages, jointly carrying out research and cooperation on 5G solutions in vertical industries to help Thailand's digital transformation. Also, ZTE and AIS will strengthen their cooperation further to fully promote the integration of 5G technology into thousands of industries and serve the public better.
