ZTE Corporation, a global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, has partnered with Thailand's leading telecommunications operator, Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS), to conduct the world's first dynamic Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) trial in an mmWave network at the AZ center in Bangkok.
This collaboration aims to explore new possibilities in millimeter-wave communication, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for deploying millimeter-wave networks on a large scale. RIS is an innovative technology that uses electromagnetic metamaterials to extend base station coverage by intelligently reflecting or transmitting signals. This results in improved coverage at a low cost and with low carbon emissions.
ZTE's dynamic RIS technology incorporates dynamic functionality, allowing for beam sweeping and user tracking, which enhances the coverage range of base stations and ensures an optimal user experience, even when users are on the move.
During the trial, ZTE implemented the dynamic RIS product in AIS's millimeter-wave network with 400 MHz bandwidth. This implementation significantly improved millimeter-wave signal coverage. Users were able to consistently maintain high downlink and uplink rates while moving within an office room larger than 400 square meters.
This performance was more than three times better than without RIS under obstructed circumstances. Millimeter-wave is a crucial frequency range in 5G networks, offering large bandwidth and capacity. However, it faces challenges in long-distance transmission and penetration through obstacles.
Through the collaboration between ZTE and AIS, dynamic RIS technology has been successfully implemented in millimeter-wave networks, overcoming propagation obstacles and enhancing coverage range and transmission speed. This collaboration is a significant milestone in millimeter-wave communication, marking a major step towards the commercialization of dynamic RIS technology.
The implementation of this groundbreaking technology will bring revolutionary changes to the global communication industry, providing a stronger network foundation for the development of future smart cities, industrial IoT and other domains.
Head of the Nationwide Operations and Support Business Unit of AIS, Wasit Wattanasap, expressed their commitment to advancing communication technology and popularizing 5G networks. The collaboration with ZTE has allowed them to explore the application of RIS technology in mmWave communications, leading to groundbreaking achievements. They believe that this technology will accelerate the arrival of the 5G-A era and deliver unprecedented communication experiences to users.
