Nokia and China Mobile conduct trial of innovative Centralized RAN and 4G technologies inside sports stadium

Nokia and China Mobile have conducted a trial of Centralized RAN technology within a TD-LTE network in a sports stadium to demonstrate how the combination can meet the high-speed, high-bandwidth demands generated by big sporting and entertainment events.

Spectators at stadium events are increasingly expecting the same level of mobile connectivity they have in the home as they share pictures and videos via social media or upload content to the cloud. However, slower network speeds and interference can traditionally impact the experience.

To address this challenge, Nokia worked with China Mobile to deploy, for the first time, Centralized RAN technology in a TD-LTE network at the Beilun Stadium in Ningbo, China. The technology monitored the signals of up to six radio cells, combining those of the best four to communicate with subscribers' devices and turn interference into useful traffic.

Some 6,000 spectators inside the stadium were provided with an exceptional high-quality, high-speed mobile experience, with upload speeds improved by 62 percent compared to existing TD-LTE networks in high-traffic locations. During peak usage times, devices were receiving data at speeds of 12 megabits per second (Mbps) or more, allowing users to use webchat applications and upload pictures without service degradation. The power efficiency of their devices was also improved by up to 33 percent.

Nokia's Centralized RAN technology can be deployed via software upgrade to an existing Flexi Multiradio 10 Base station network. For mobile operators, Centralized RAN is a key step in their Cloud RAN network evolution.