PRESS RELEASE: On February 28, 2023, European think tank IDATE hosted the 5G Accelerates Indoor Digitalization roundtable in Barcelona. Eric Bao, President of Huawei’s Wireless Network Digital Indoor System Product Line, delivered a speech titled “DIScover 5G Advanced”.

Indoor Digitalization Is More Important in the 5G Era than Ever Before

Eric Bao said, “In the 5G era, indoor digitalization has undergone a range of major changes. First, indoor scenarios have become more important. 5G indoor coverage used to be a supplement to 5G outdoor coverage. But now, indoor scenarios have become an incubator of innovative 5G services, and most new 5G services are designed for indoor use. Second, service requirements have shifted from traffic only to higher requirements such as massive connectivity, real-time interaction, and positioning, which are all critical for services like cloud gaming and XR virtual conferences. Third, the network construction mode has changed from overlay to independent 5G deployment, and the networks for fully-connected 5G factories are an example of this change. Last but not least, the service object has changed from only consumers to consumers and enterprises. Multi-purpose networks are now desperately needed in the toB market. Overall, indoor digitalization has become essential, and its value has grown far beyond traffic.”

Indoor Digitalization Is Critical for 5G and Vital for 5.5G

South Korea was the first country to commercially roll out 5G. It deployed outdoor and indoor networks simultaneously during the early stage of 5G construction. By the end of 2022, after three years of construction, operators in South Korea had built networks covering almost every indoor area nationwide, including malls, shopping centers, hospitals, schools, and metros. A test on Huawei’s LampSite Digital Indoor System (DIS) in Seoul shows that the deployment of 5G indoor Distributed Massive MIMO (M-MIMO) brought a high indoor throughput of 1 Gbps and increased the cell capacity by three times, achieving a gigabit experience anytime, anywhere. In addition, a variety of UHD video and VR/AR services are available to consumers, boosting business growth.

In the 5G era, leading technologies such as 400 MHz ultra-high bandwidth and Distributed M-MIMO are significantly improving indoor experiences, and generating strong demand for indoor digitalization in key scenarios such as airports, metros, malls, hospitals, and universities. In the 5.5G era, indoor digitalization will be essential.

Indoor Digitalization Is Essential for Delivering 10 Gbps in the Downlink and 1 Gbps in the Uplink in toC Scenarios

As eMBB services such as 4K/8K video, XR, and UHD livestreaming take off, users expect more from indoor networks. Conventional solutions for indoor network coverage cannot support high-speed 5G services due to limited rate and capacity. In contrast, indoor digitalization can support growing indoor eMBB services, as it provides a downlink speed of 10 Gbps and an uplink speed of 1 Gbps by combining multiple 4G and 5G bands and using new MIMO technologies.

Indoor Digitalization Is Essential for Creating Hundreds of Billions of IoT Connections in toB Scenarios

The Internet of Everything (IoE) is an important goal for both 5G and 5.5G. According to IoT Analytics, there are more than 12.3 billion active IoT devices worldwide, and this figure is expected to exceed 27 billion by 2025. Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technology alone is not enough to connect more devices. Considering complex communications environments, variable device forms, and networking costs, low-cost passive IoT solution can be widely applied in industry and consumer IoT. Conventional indoor distributed systems cannot support service evolution due to low receiver sensitivity caused by RF cable attenuation. Indoor digitalization solutions, however, support evolution to 5.5G as they allow new services to be added to the existing network capabilities.

Indoor Digitalization Is Essential for Utilizing mmWave’s Ultra-high Bandwidth and Driving Spectrum Development

As a key spectrum of 5.5G, mmWave features wider spectrum resources, higher-level spatial isolation, narrower beams, and more accurate beam coordination. It will greatly improve positioning and sensing capabilities, thereby supporting services like high uplink and Harmonized Communication and Sensing (HCS). Moreover, mmWave has a shorter transmission time interval (TTI), which will significantly reduce network latency and enable Real-Time Broadband Communication (RTBC) services, enriching people’s lives. The RF components of conventional indoor distributed systems do not support bands above 3.5 GHz, or mmWave deployment on legacy networks. Therefore, indoor digitalization is the optimal choice for mmWave deployment and spectrum development.

Indoor Digitalization Is an Inevitable Trend in Indoor Network Construction

Indoor digitalization solutions, such as Huawei’s LampSite DIS, are better options for indoor network construction. LampSite DIS supports scenario-based flexible 3G, 4G, and 5G multi-frequency networking. It uses Distributed M-MIMO to convert interference into gains of achieving four times higher network capacity and a ubiquitous gigabit experience. This solution also features visualized management that allows real-time monitoring of network status, thereby improving both network management efficiency and user experience. In addition, the LampSite solution will be enhanced to support service capabilities such as mmWave, precise positioning, and passive IoT, and enable evolution to 5.5G without changing indoor site locations or requiring more cables.

In general, indoor digitalization is an important direction for network development and an inevitable trend in 5G construction. As 5.5G grows and evolves, indoor mobile networks will become more intelligent and efficient and provide better network experiences and services for users.