The China Mobile Research Institute and Nokia have launched a jointly-developed hybrid indoor radio solution with location services, designed to meet 5G connectivity demands inside large, busy buildings.
The solution, which the companies are hailing as an industry-first, is aimed at reducing operators' deployment costs.
The solution uses the Nokia 5G Pico RRH System, passive DAS antennas and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to improve capacity over traditional passive-only DAS systems while reducing deployment costs compared to Pico systems.
According to research from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, around 70% of consumption of 5G business applications will take place indoors. As a result, indoor coverage has become a key area of focus for operators while developing initial 5G services.
The companies said the solution will enable the delivery of intelligent operations and maintenance services, including weak coverage and indoor positioning analysis, traffic flow analysis and elastic scalability.
The location services functionality will meanwhile enable the delivery of value-added services for building owners, with the companies giving the example of security monitoring or push marketing services in shopping malls.
"China Mobile is committed to delivering the best user experience for mobile applications empowered by innovative technologies,” China Mobile Research Institute senior researcher Zhang Xinwang said.
“Our collaborations with Nokia Shanghai Bell, along with the innovations jointly achieved, will help us maintain the leading position in 5G coverage and capacity while effectively lowering implementation costs."