クアルコム、5G mmWaveテストラボを開設

ソニーはラボを使用する最初の相手先商標製品製造会社となり、市販前のmmWaveモバイルフォームファクタデバイスをテストします。Qualcomm Technologies opened a new 5G laboratory in Europe for operators and equipment manufacturers to test millimeter wave (mmWave) devices and network configurations. The chipset specialist expanded its 5G new radio (NR) testing facilities at its research and development center in Farnborough in the United Kingdom to include a new lab dedicated to end-to-end over-the-air configurations for 5G NR mmWave. Sony will be the first original equipment manufacturer to use of the lab, providing pre-commercial mmWave mobile form factor devices to the facility to test the capacity, throughput, latency, and reliability of mmWave in multiple deployment scenarios. Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm Europe/MEA, acknowledged that European carriers have initially focused on sub-6 GHz deployments of 5G networks. However, he said the facility will provide customers with the opportunity “to see and test the benefits of 5G NR mmWave technology for themselves…Utilizing all types of spectrum, including low, mid and high bands, is critical for the success of 5G.” Italian mobile operator TIM has already collaborated with Qualcomm on a 5G NR video call using mmWave spectrum at the TIM 5G Innovation Hub in Rome and has deployed 5G mmWave coverage throughout San Marino. Elisabetta Romano, chief technology innovation officer at TIM, said that the operator would work with Qualcomm at its new lab to “accelerate the development of a complete 5G ecosystem.” Frederic Vanoosthuyze, chief technology and IT officer at MegaFon, also pointed to the Russian operator’s demonstration with Qualcomm of “the real-life mmWave capabilities of 5G” in June 2018. A strong proponent of the opportunities that such ultra-high-band frequencies will bring, Qualcomm has previously said that “it is undeniably essential to mobilize mmWave for smartphones” to realize the full potential of 5G for enhanced mobile broadband, and it expects operators to focus on mmWave deployments in urban areas that require more network capacity. Indeed, it has long been accepted that mmWave spectrum is going to play a critical role in 5G networks, although it is clear that operators will encounter many challenges as they engineer their networks to reach a level of availability and resilience required to fulfill the promise of 5G. For example, Verizon’s early 5G deployments, which rely exclusively mmWave spectrum, has it facing questions about the propagation limits of the high-frequency spectrum and how it plans to augment network performance with low- or mid-band spectrum. These early mobile 5G networks suffer from limited coverage and signals that drop within hundreds of feet of a base station. Qualcomm already expanded its 5G test networks at its San Diego headquarters to include end-to-end over-the-air (OTA) configurations for both mmWave and sub-6 GHz bands. The networks are based on 3GPP 5G New Radio (5G NR) Release 15 standards and are said to enable concepts that are expected to be supported from Release 16 and beyond. Alejandro Holcman, senior vice president of the Engineering Services group at Qualcomm, said in a blog that 5G NR mmWave networks “will initially focus on providing macro outdoor coverage, while indoor deployments for indoor coverage are expected to come later.” He emphasized that “one enormous opportunity for mobile operators and service providers is to bring mmWave services to indoor locations,” citing research by ABI Research from 2016 that suggested more than 80% of mobile data traffic originates or terminates indoors.