PRESS RELEASE: ZTE is dedicated to continuously innovating its UniSite solution for wireless networks, with a focus on addressing key challenges such as crowded tower space, high carbon footprint, and the increasing requirements for large capacity and optimal user experience.
In response to the needs of both developed and less developed markets, ZTE offers the most comprehensive Ultra-broadband Radio (UBR) series based on the latest generation platform, providing simplified and energy-efficient solutions to CSPs (Communication Service Providers) engaged in 4G modernization and 5G rollout. These solutions aim to optimize site operations by streamlining processes, reducing energy consumption, and delivering superior performance.
Streamlined tower site is achieved by ZTE’s UBR series through its unique features. These include the industry’s unique three-sector-in-one UBR, which combines three sectors into a single unit with high output power. One of the key advantages of the UBR series is its ability to reduce the number of radios required for a single base station. With the introduction of 6TR and 12TR UBRs, the number of radios can be reduced from fifteen to just two. This reduction in equipment translates to significant cost savings, with rental costs potentially reduced by up to 60%. Additionally, ZTE offers a unique FDD-TDD-integrated 5G UBR, which enables seamless integration of frequency divisions for improved efficiency.
Substantial energy saving is one more crucial advantege brought bythe UBR series with high-efficiency technologies. The unique RF pooling solution optimizes the utilization of power amplifier resources, which contributes to a significant reduction in essential power consumption, with energy savings of up to 40%. By introducing RRU hibernation and AI-based traffic prediction and hibernation strategy application, an additional 15% power saving can be achieved. By significantly reducing power consumption, ZTE’s UBR series helps operators minimize operating expenses and achieve a more sustainable and efficient network infrastructure.
Improved resource utilization and cost-efficiency is critical benefit brought by 5G FDD-TDD integrated UBR. For 5G coverage and capacity, 5G UBR offers greater capacity compared to ordinary Remote Radio Units (RRUs), but more cost-effective when the implementation of Massive MIMO Active Antenna Units (AAUs) is excessive for certain scenarios, such as residential areas, highways, and railways. In these specific scenarios, the 5G UBR provides a better cost-effectiveness balance, achieving a 50% reduction in radio units and rental costs and a 15% reduction in energy costs.
ZTE supports its industry-leading UBR series through four key technologies:
Unique Super-N power amplifier architecture: ZTE has implemented an innovative Super-N architecture that utilizes a multi-level optimal adjustment system. This system allows for improved efficiency and reduced power consumption by operating at multiple levels, ultimately leading to higher output performance. The power amplifier efficiency is increased by 8-10 percentage points than previous products, leading to 15% reduction in the total power consumption.
Advanced algorithm: ZTE has successfully developed an advanced CR-DPD (cognitive radio – Digital Pre-Distortion) algorithm. This innovative solution significantly mitigates power fallback at low output power levels, thus ensures the power amplifier operating at its most efficient and linear state, and leads to the reduced power consumption and enhanced performance.
Unique RF pooling solution: Based on UBR series, ZTE has further developed unique RF pooling solutions which adjust the output power in real-time especially among sectors for revenue increase and energy saving while still offering optimal user experience. The solutions effectively manage the traffic increase and convert it into substantial revenue, without any impact on performance, coverage. In urban scenarios, the power consumption is reduced by 20-30%. In residential area, highway and railway scenarios, coverage is increased by 30%. With fewer sites deployed, uplink throughput is improved by 20% and power consumption reduced by 20%. The innovative solution guarantees a consistent and superior level of network quality, benefiting all users, particularly those residing on the edge of network coverage, with a 15% increase in capacity. This improvement elevates user satisfaction, contributes to increased user retention, and ultimately drives operator revenue growth.
In recent projects, 50,000+ sites with new generation UBRs have been successfully deployed in more than twenty countries around the world. The commercial results demonstrate that the UBR Series has successfully addressed the crowded conditions in the existing installation space of towers and poles. By increasing ToC (top of cabinet) output power and capacity in the FDD sub-3GHz, it has improved performance while significantly reducing energy consumption. For example, in one operator, with increasing demand for multi-technology multi-band service and traffic, tower load & space efficiency is an important factor. In hot spot areas, ever growing traffic also poses great challenges on existing network. To tackle these challenges, the operator introduces ZTE’s unique tri-band UBR with the industry’s largest output power, among other highly integrated products to the project, which help reduces site footprint by 2/3 , greatly saving tower space, and OPEX of rental. With UBR replacement, power consumption is also reduced by up to 17.1%, while power efficiency ratio (KWh/GB) is improved by up to 21.6%.
In a summary, ZTE UBR series addresses the major needs of mobile operators in different regions. It plays an increasingly important role for the vast majority of CSPs as UBR helps super cost-effective 4G modernization and enhanced 5G coverage with increased cost-effectiveness.