PARTNER CONTENT: “The adoption of the latest antenna technology can enable operators to enhance operational and maintenance efficiency, improve deployment flexibility, and support cutting-edge networks in the 5.5G-led mobile AI era,” Andy Sun (pictured, above), president of Huawei Antenna Business Unit, shared with Mobile World Live (MWL).

In an interview at MBBF 2024 in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sun described the antenna as the ‘Bridge’ between networks and users. “To deliver a differentiated user experience through a network, the foundation is ubiquitous coverage via antennas,” he stated.

However, in the mobile AI era, he acknowledged that while the gradual integration of intelligence into network opens up new services opportunities, it also poses “even greater challenges” for antennas.

With advanced resources available on modern networks, Sun highlighted three key challenges that need to be addressed with antenna equipment: high energy efficiency, remote operations and maintenance, and ease of deployment.

“Firstly, a green, high efficiency capability should be naturally embedded as part of all antennas,” he told MWL. From his experience, the increased integration of frequency bands in future networks will result in higher energy consumption to support the rapid growth of network data traffic. Therefore, antennas must be environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and sustainable to align with operators’ goals for developing greener networks.

Secondly, Sun pointed out that traditional passive antennas lack the flexibility needed to adapt to different scenarios and varying user needs – a crucial attribute for effective management and delivering innovation solutions. To address this, he said that networks must have real-time capabilities for remote reading of engineering parameters and dynamic, multi-dimensional antenna adjustments.

The third challenge, as highlighted by Sun, is that, based on his industry insights from engagement with mobile network operators, installation or deployment of antennas can be both costly and time-consuming. For example, in Europe the cost of installing antennas can be as high as the cost of antennas themselves.

“The urgent need is to upgrade the antenna installation process to drive down operating expenses,” Sun underscored. Leveraging the latest antenna technologies, operators can achieve faster installation and optimize space usage on towers and other sites, enhancing overall efficiency.

Optimisation
“Huawei collaborated with a diverse group of industry experts, operators, and academics to define and create the ‘Future of Antennas’,” Sun said during the interview at MBBF. 

Discussing cutting-edge evolutions of antennas – essential elements of modern networks – he further emphasised that modern antennas must demonstrate ‘zero loss’, ‘zero touch’, and ‘zero limit’ to support network construction, operation, and evolution. 

Sun highlighted a focus on sustainability and high efficiency in antenna innovation, describing these attributes as essential for achieving truly ubiquitous coverage in green networks. Regarding zero loss, he stated that every antenna must operate with maximum efficiency across all frequency bands to support environmentally sustainable development.

“We believe that it’s vital to transform or upgrade traditional passive antennas to digitalised versions,” he told us. In terms of zero touch, this change will enable remote and real-time adjustment, allowing for flexible optimization of key parameters that significantly impact network performance, such as the direction of coverage and the beam width.

Moreover, Sun referred to ‘zero limit’ as easy deployment across all site scenarios to overcome some of the most challenging limitations and restrictions. In his discussions with leading operators in Europe, it was conveyed that it can be very difficult to deploy traditional antenna solutions in certain locations, resulting in coverage gaps. This is a very difficult but critical problem to solve as it is directly related to achieving the best user experience.

Generational change
At MBBF, Huawei launched its next generation Alpha series antenna, designed to meet the ‘Zero Loss, Zero Touch and Zero Limit’ priorities outlined by Sun during the interview.

“We have driven antenna efficiency to the maximum, approaching the theoretical limit of 90 percent” he said. In this next-gen series antenna, the company has leveraged both existing and new technologies, such as Signal Direct Injection Feeding (SDIF) Technology, expanding these innovations to cover the full frequency ranges across all bands, from low to high.

“We successfully apply our leading-edge technologies, SDIF and Meta Lens, across all the frequency bands”, Sun emphasised.

For its latest models, the company has upgraded its Antenna Information Sensor Unit (AISU) module. Sun explained that this enhancement allows it to ‘quickly get the engineering parameters’ and ‘be deployed rapidly, making it useful from the antenna installation stage through the entire network lifecycle.’

“It performs well even in environments with high interference or environmental obstacles,” he added.

Furthermore, Sun shared with MWL, “All Alpha series antennas are equipped with the latest AISU module to enable faster deployment and remote reading of key engineering parameters.” Precise availability of parameters, such as azimuth orientation, mechanical downtilt angle, and antenna height, allows operators to determine when immediate adjustments are necessary. He added that with the full-dimensional beam adjustment capability, operators can remotely adjust not only downtilt but also horizontal angles, as well as modify beamwidth of antennas in both vertically and horizontally.

“These innovations have only strengthened Huawei’s drive to keep pushing forward,” he stated. In an effort to reduce weight and streamline the installation process, the company has redesigned the mechanical architecture and updated the materials used in this latest range.

Sun pointed out that “a reduction in antenna weight can be very helpful,” explaining that in Europe, for instance, if a unit weighs less than 25kg, it can be handled by a single person, significantly reducing the on-site installation costs. He added that their new Dragon Wings Architecture has successfully addressed these deployment challenges.

On that note, safety was highlighted as another benefit. In areas with numerous wireless connections, installers often spend a considerable amount of time on top of towers. Sun shared with us that their new padlock brackets support and plug-and-play connectors are reported to halve installation time. By streamlining this work through advances in antenna tech, these potentially hazardous situations can be improved.

“With all these upgrades in the Alpha series antenna, we provide our clients with high efficiency antennas that enable mobile network operators to achieve remote management and optimisation.”

“In the Mobile AI network era, antennas are like the eyes and hands of human beings. They must be robust, helping operators see and point their antennas to enable dynamic and diverse experiences and scenarios. Next-gen antennas should possess the ability to be managed, with high efficiency and easy deployment, to support green and intelligent networks in the Mobile AI Era,” Andy Sun concluded.