5g 下一篇：数字化如何带来天线的先进功能

5G Next: How digitalisation is leading to advancedcapabilities for antennas INSIGHT SPOTLIGHT Optimising site-level coverage has traditionally been atask performed before deployment. However, with siteenvironments constantly and quickly changing, newantenna capabilities will soon enable operators post This Insight Spotlight is the third part of a series–called5G Next–to help better understand the promising 5Gtechnology innovations shaping mobile networks. This Antenna technology is evolving. Newly developedfunctionality includes sensing, remote control, Analysis •Antenna coverage adjustment–Despite careful environmental analysis before deployment, a site’s environment will constantlychange. New or removed buildings, trees and venues canincrease deviation between the pre-set, static deployment andthe optimal direction of the antenna. Expanding intelligence to Antennas: pivotal for network operators Antennas are the parts of the mobile network that convert electricalsignals into radio waves and vice versa, connecting the physical Globally, mobile operators have deployed approximately 7 million5G base stations.1GSMA Intelligence forecasts that 5G networkcoverage will reach 50% of the population in 2024. For theremaining population, operators will deploy millions of 5G base •Digital twins for antenna optimisation–Having developedand installed the above capabilities, network operators will beable to build a digital twin (a form of virtual network). With Despite the pivotal role of antennas, and antenna innovation clearlylikely to affect network economics for the foreseeable future,hardware-related innovation has not been the hottest topic. Overthe past decade, focus has shifted to software innovation. But thisdoes not make antenna-related innovation any less important. In Impact on network economics Antennas are crucial RAN elements and greatly affect operators'overall efficiency and competitiveness. Other than the cost of theequipment, key considerations for antenna selection include opex,energy, spectral efficiency and maintenance. Sensing and self- Antenna digitalisation: network intelligence to the edge The wave of innovation currently occurring around antennas canbroadly be termed digitalisation. This is expected to bring about thebiggest change since the emergence of single RAN antennas. •Improving energy efficiency–Energy represents the largestdraw on network opex. A network that can sense and self-optimise antenna direction, and adjust the coverage and beam pattern, can help direct energy to the places where needed.Energy use is a key factor in operators’ overall competitiveness.According to GSMA Intelligence’s Mobile Energy Efficiency •Site-level sensing–To make real-time, accurate decisions onthe angle of antennas, network operators need to harvest site-level data. Through antenna digitalisation, It is now possible tocost-efficiently collect environmental information (temperature, •Improving user experience–Better quality of service can beachieved through dynamic beams that follow the user equipment(this applies to all bands). This potentially results in improvedoverall customer satisfaction, churn and other commercial •Dynamic radio waves–Rather than operating as a single,static, spotlight-like beam,apassive antennawill be able tosense, understand and forecast movement of user equipment Implications Mobile operators Vendors •Seize the first-mover advantage–Currently, a limitednumber of antennas can sense site information, and noantennas can rotate horizontally to optimise coverage. This isexpected to change over the coming decade. Wirelessnetworks will be able to sense and self-optimise antenna •Focus on long-lasting antenna products–Antennas shouldhave a long lifecycle; network operators will not want to lock themselves into something they need to decommission over the next few years. Offering antenna solutions with newcapabilities may look less useful currently, but these will beessential in the future. Real-time views of engineering and •Consider how to deploy a digitalised antenna system–Todeliver a successful antenna digitalisation project, operatorsshould consider the local environment. Antenna digitalisationshould generally follow a three-step process: develop site-level sensing capabilities for engineering, environmental and •Convert early adopters and secure long-term contracts–Antennas will sooner or later havesensingand digitalcapabilities. First-mover vendors can capture a large portionof the market if they can establish solid references andexperience early on. They can also have more time to perfect social parameters; add remote-control capabilities; anddevelop digital-twin creation capabilities and self-optimisation. •Monetise data–As network operators and tower companiesbuild unique sensing capabilities to support antennadigitalisation, they can also start thinking about monetisingthat data elsewhere. With their scattered sensing assets andreal estate, ne