Great Industry Leap - Intel and Huawei Jointly Complete a TM9 Field Test Based on Commercial UEs

[Xi'an, China, June 20th 2018] Intel and Huawei jointly tested TM9-capable commercial UEs on an 8T LTE FDD network at a Huawei test field in Xi'an. This E2E (coordination among Commercial UEs, the RAN, and chipsets) test was conducted in TM9 mode on 8T8R AAUs and commercial UEs powered by the Intel® XMM7480 and Intel® XMM7560 modem chipsets. The test showed that the single-user-perceived rate was 20% higher than that achieved in TM4 mode and the capacity in heavy-load cells was 1.65 times greater than that of traditional 2T2R LTE cells. This successful joint test demonstrates that TM9-capable UEs are ready for large-scale commercial use. TM9 is expected to be commercially deployed on numerous LTE networks this year. The TM9 industry is maturing.

Unlike TM4-capable UEs, TM9-capable UEs can accurately identify UE-specific reference signals, allowing an eNodeB to direct beams towards UEs more precisely. This delivers an increase in the power of signals while simultaneously helping to significantly reduce inter-UE interference. In any given radio propagation environment, TM9 mode improves the UE demodulation performance and user experienced data speed. As UEs evolve and tend to multiple-antenna receiver capability (4Rx), TM9 technology can further improve user experience and cell capacity.

Chenwei Yan, Vice President and General Manager, Connected Products and Programs at Intel said, "These positive TM9 test results demonstrate that the Intel® XMM family of modem chipsets in a LTE gigabit-level multiple-antenna feature are helping move the industry closer to large-scale commercial use. Intel is looking forward to working closely with industry partners towards the full commercialization of TM9."

Chen Chuanfei, Vice President of Huawei LTE Product Line, said, "Multiple-antenna technology is a major trend for the continuous evolution of FDD technologies. TM9 is the key element and fundamental cornerstone to maximize multiple-antenna performance. Huawei will continue to work diligently with industry partners to promote the commercial TM9-capable UEs penetration, helping operators better leverage spectrum efficiency, and improve user experience."