U Mobile and Huawei Malaysia have announced the successful first live test of 8T8R using Huawei’s Blade AAU network solution in Malaysia. The test was aimed at evaluating the extent of improvements that 4G users may experience on 1800MHz and 2100MHz using the 8T8R feature on Huawei’s Blade AAU solution. Just last year, U Mobile and Huawei conducted a live test using “SingleCell” and LowBand 4T4R solution to measure 4G experience improvements on the 900MHz band.
U Mobile currently operates its 4G network on 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz and 2600MHz bands which generally use 2T2R or 4T4R. According to the telco, the Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology helps to improve transmission reliability and signal quality of radio links with the application of signal processing techniques.
The 8T8R used during the live test offers an upgrade from the commonly used 4T4R to increase network capacity and coverage, resulting in a better user experience. The recent 8T8R tests with Huawei were conducted at one site in Penang and another in Johor between August and September 2023. Based on live data collected, U Mobile said the 8T8R feature improved downlink user experience with gains of up to 41% against existing 4G coverage and traffic.
Introduced in 2019, Huawei’s Blade AAU (Active Antenna Unit) series offers a solution for operators to overcome network deployment challenges due to the lack of antenna space. This is achieved by integrating massive MIMO AAU with a multi-band passive antenna into a single box. The solution won the Global Mobile (GLOMO) award for the Best Mobile Network Infrastructure during Mobile World Congress 2021.
U Mobile said the introduction of Blade AAU to their network also enables a simplified 5G-ready solution for sites while optimising CAPEX and OPEX costs.
U Mobile Chief Technology Officer Mr Woon Ooi Yuen said, “U Mobile is committed to providing affordable quality experience to our customers. Apart from our wide range of innovative products and services, we also pride ourselves for continuously upgrading and enhancing our network which is already 5G-ready. The most recent testament of our network quality is the recognition by a leading independent network analytics company for having the fastest overall speeds in Malaysia, as well as being a global leader in 5G availability and 5G gaming experience.”
He added, “In our effort to consistently improve our network, we are delighted to have completed the first live test of 8T8R with Huawei’s Blade AAU in Malaysia to very positive results. We believe initiatives like these reaffirm that our network quality is constantly improving and that we are always providing our customers the best connectivity experience to be had.”
Meanwhile, Huawei Malaysia Vice President of the Carrier Network Business Group, Mr Zac Chow said, “The 8T8R with Blade AAU features innovative hardware and software that delivers significantly enhanced network performance and energy efficiency. It is an ideal solution that is designed to eliminate numerous installation pain points, including that of limited antenna space. At Huawei, we continue to innovate and pursue simple solutions with cutting-edge or game-changing capabilities.
This is the core principle driving Huawei’s technological innovations and engineering design, for not just the 8T8R or Blade AAU, but for the entire suite of Huawei solutions.”
