Telecom operator MTS in association with Ericsson has built a prototype 5G network in Moscow and completed a 5G trial including stationary and mobile test cases.

MTS achieved peak throughput data rates of 25 Gbps with features such as massive and multi-user MIMO, beam tracking and dynamic TDD.

The prototype system comprises a base station with integrated multiple antennas and two sets of user equipment, and is located in Moscow.

Ericsson and MTS will further develop the 5G prototype system into an extended 5G demo zone in time for the 2018 international soccer competition in Russia.



The massive and multi-User MIMO features — based on hardware including up to 512 smart antennas with integrated transceivers per cell — improves throughput for subscribers.

Ericsson said the Multi-User MIMO feature enables mobile operators to serve multiple subscribers in one sector of a cell with the same spectrum, and increase the efficiency of frequency use and the cell capacity.

Beam tracking enables the system to maintain a reliable connections and achieve the best possible throughput as the users move through the network. Dynamic TDD improves throughput rates and the utilization of radio network resources by dynamically allocating capacity for downlink and uplink traffic.



“The tests showed a record of the data speeds in Russia to a mobile device, and on specific examples we saw how close we are to the daily use of 5G solutions,” said Igor Egorov, director of Moscow Region, MTS.

MTS is currently building a data transfer network and testing various solutions to ensure its readiness for 5G standardization.