Telecommunications giant, Bell Canada, has successfully completed its first network field test of Cohere Technologies’ software-driven capacity improvement using coordinated scheduling with an existing network. The trial represented a significant milestone in enhancing 5G network capacity without modifications to existing radios or antennas.
Cohere Technologies’ Universal Spectrum Multiplier (USM) supports mobile operators in improving cost-effective capacity without additional spectrum investment or hardware upgrades.
Ray Dolan, Chairman and CEO of Cohere Technologies, highlighted, “Thanks to Bell’s leadership, we can now share with the industry that our USM works in both greenfield and brownfield environments. In the coming months, we will work together to validate scalability in a live commercial network as the final step before commercialization.”
Mark McDonald, Senior Vice President for Networks at Bell, stated, “This trial is an important first step to demonstrate that we can significantly improve current network capacity with a USM software upgrade on our existing radio access network (RAN). By relieving network congestion in key spectrum bands, we can improve customer experience, as well as the value of our existing network assets.”
The outdoor testing, which took place near Bell’s technology labs in Mississauga, Ontario, demonstrated the seamless integration of USM software with existing network infrastructure. Using Bell’s 850 MHz spectrum band (FDD) on its 5G standalone (5GSA) network, the trial showcased coordinated scheduling with a third-party base station. This configuration allowed the pairing of single-user (SU) devices for MU_MIMO capacity enhancements using existing resources.
Built on an innovative Delay-Doppler modeling, the USM utilizes an advanced wireless optimization system that enables function disaggregation and multi-site network visibility. This feature supports both 4G and 5G networks in FDD and TDD configurations.
The system integrates multiple base station layers to allow FDD MU-MIMO scheduling and beam forming, driven by the USM’s machine learning capability. The USM empowers operators to make precise capacity and coverage adjustments by leveraging vast amounts of Delay-Doppler channel and E2SM-LLC API data for traffic flows and patterns.
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