Nokia is collaborating with NTT DoCoMo to demonstrate 5G New Radio (5G NR) enhancements at 90 GHz during the Brooklyn 5G Summit this week.
The duo will apply a Nokia Bell Labs-developed compact millimeter wave phased-array antenna system scalable up to 256-elements using an RFIC solution to enable multi-gigabit per second speeds. The test will demonstrate how using 5G NR enhancements at higher mmWave frequency bands can manage radio complexity and a larger number of antenna beams while enabling greater bandwidth.
Nokia says it will also show how using a larger number of antenna elements at higher frequency bands can minimize pathloss to enable coverage similar to that found using lower mmWave bands.
The two will also perform a demonstration to show how dynamic offloading relocation in a 5G core will enable the kind of low-latency networks required to support time-critical mobile broadband applications for future automation and augmented reality.
RELATED: Nokia prepares for 90-96 GHz demo during Brooklyn 5G Summit
Nokia was granted FCC permission in March to conduct the tests.
Nokia and DoCoMo said they will continue to test these technologies in NTT DoCoMo's research lab at the Yokosuka Research Park in Japan. The companies will investigate how the RFIC solution at 90 GHz will enhance coverage in a variety of scenarios, including urban, suburban and in-building environments.
Both Seizo Onoe, chief technology architect at NTT DoCoMo and president of DoCoMo Technology, and Marcus Weldon, president of Nokia Bell Labs, will be presenting keynotes at the summit, which is co-sponsored by Nokia and NYU Wireless Research Center. The summit is being held at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering from April 24-27.
Nokia late last year joined with other technology leaders, including Virginia Diodes and Keysight Technologies, in becoming founding members of the mmWave Coalition, which advocates for the use of radio frequencies above 95 GHz at the FCC, other U.S. government agencies and the ITU.
RELATED: FCC looks to unleash spectrum above 95 GHz
The FCC currently has no rules to permit licensed or unlicensed communications use above 95 GHz, other than by amateur operators or on an experimental basis. But in February, the commission agreed on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that identifies specific frequency bands that could accommodate licensed, unlicensed and experimental use. Specifically, the item seeks comment on making a total of 102.2 gigahertz of spectrum available for licensed point-to-point services.