Verizon and Ericsson have announced the completion of their first deployment of FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) Massive MIMO (Multiple Input – Multiple Output) on Verizon’s wireless network in Irvine, CA.  

This deployment will improve both spectral and energy efficiency, increasing network capacity for current devices in the market.  Further significant enhancements are expected to come as new devices evolve toward 5G.

Today’s Massive MIMO deployment involves 16 transceiver radio units driving an array of 96 antenna elements supplied by Ericsson.  The deployment is running on a 20 MHz block of AWS spectrum.  Four-way transmit has been widely deployed throughout the Verizon network and has contributed to significant 4G LTE advancements. 

In Massive MIMO - the next step of antenna array evolution - the high number of transmitters enables more possible signal paths.  It also enables beamforming, which directs the beam from the cell site directly to where the customer is, dramatically cutting down on interference.  Reduced interference results in higher and more consistent speeds for customers. 

As part of an Intelligent Edge Network that processes data where it’s generated, this Massive MIMO deployment is another step in technological innovation and a key technology enabler for 5G. As Verizon begins deploying Massive MIMO in the future throughout the network in places where there are capacity needs, customers with compatible devices will automatically begin taking advantage of this technological advancement.