Editor's note: Air-ground integration organically combines air communication with ground communication to achieve extensive network coverage and efficient data transmission, which has broad development prospects and huge application potential. In recent years, the rise of commercial spaceflight, the development of spaceborne technology, and the significant reduction in the cost of satellite manufacturing and launch have injected new vitality into air-ground integration. The clear vision of 6G air-space-ground integration wireless ubiquity and the ITU's proposal for the frequency planning of "mobile phone direct connection to satellite" have clarified the direction of the air-ground integration industry. In order to explore the current situation, opportunities, challenges and future of air-ground integration, Communication World Omnimedia specially planned a special report on "6G Leading, Starting the 'Star' Journey", in order to provide suggestions and suggestions for the development of the industry.
As of February 2024, the mainland has built 3.509 million 5G base stations and developed 851 million 5G users. With the expansion of scale, 5G has entered a new stage of high-quality development. With the advantages of strong penetration, low cost, and low latency, 5G small base stations will effectively improve network coverage, promote high-quality development, and play an important role in the 5G stage.
How to fully release the potential of 5G small base stations and promote the vigorous development of the industry? In the face of the surging wave of AI (artificial intelligence) and satellite Internet, what new opportunities does 5G small base stations usher in? Recently, Zhou Nanqing, CTO and vice president of Chengdu Airi Wireless Technology Co., Ltd., was interviewed by all-media reporters from the communication world.
01
The demand is clear, and the dawn is ahead
"Small cells play an important role in the communication network and play a vital role in achieving the goals of high density, high capacity and low latency of 5G networks. In Zhou Nanqing's view, there are three main application scenarios of 5G small base stations: one is to enhance coverage in scenarios with weak signals such as indoor and basements, the second is to increase network capacity in densely populated areas such as commercial areas and entertainment venues, and the third is to provide low-latency transmission for applications such as autonomous driving, remote surgery, and industrial manufacturing through nearby deployment. With clear positioning and clear demand, the prospect of 5G small base stations is unanimously optimistic about the industry.
Although the "inflection point" of the small base station market has not yet appeared, Zhou Nanqing believes that under the trend of continuous enhancement of 5G network coverage, the demand for 5G small base stations will objectively exist, and small base stations will usher in the dawn in the next two to three years. In order to promote the development of 5G small base stations, Zhou Nanqing suggested that all parties in the industry should work together: the government should increase policy encouragement, operators should clarify their procurement plans, and small base station manufacturers should converge their investment directions and focus on advantageous areas, so as to promote the positive cycle and benign development of the industry.
Since 2023, AI and satellite Internet have sprung up, and the combination of these new technologies with small base stations will open up new scenarios and give birth to new opportunities.
At present, carriers combine AI with networks to provide network services with zero waiting, zero faults, and zero touch, and O&M capabilities that are self-configuring, self-healing, and self-optimizing. For the combination of AI and small base stations, Zhou Nanqing believes that we can start from three aspects: one is to use AI for better network deployment optimization, fault detection and repair according to the functions of the small base station itself, the second is to deeply integrate AI with small base stations for channel estimation, MIMO pairing, algorithm optimization, etc., and the third is to use AI for defect detection and face recognition based on data on the 5G network.
In addition to AI, satellite internet is also a hot topic. In October 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) proposed to promote the reform of the satellite Internet service access system, and in December 2023, the Central Economic Work Conference emphasized the need to build a number of strategic emerging industries such as commercial aerospace and low-altitude economy. Driven by many favorable policies, the popularity of the satellite Internet market continues to rise.
Zhou Nanqing said: First, small base stations are closely integrated with spaceborne base stations to solve the problem of network coverage in remote areas such as deserts and forests, and to achieve global global network coverage; second, satellite communication is applied in the backhaul part to solve the problem that optical fiber is not easy to deploy in some scenarios and that it is difficult for small base stations to return data.
Of course, new scenarios are also forcing technological innovation, and in the future, small cell network management will evolve in the direction of intelligence and automation.
02
Airi Wireless has accumulated steadily
Founded in Chengdu in 2019, as a provider of 5G base station core technology and "AI+5G" solutions, iResearch Wireless has nearly 200 employees, including more than 170 R&D personnel, and nearly 70% of employees with master's degree or above, and the R&D team is very strong. According to Zhou Nanqing, Airi Wireless has the ability to develop the whole 5G system from design, R&D, testing to integration, and has launched 5G small base station products that meet the needs of various scenarios, such as low-power, low-cost integrated base stations, high-specification, high-capacity 4G/5G dual-mode small base stations, small base station products combining AI and 5G, and small base station products for low-altitude communication.
Zhou Nanqing concluded: "Based on the needs of operators, iResearch will continue to follow up the development trend of the industry based on the needs of operators, and meet various network coverage and user experience needs through technology research and development and product iteration. In the future, we will explore more technical solutions to provide the industry with wireless products and services such as small cells that are easy to integrate, convenient and intelligent, and cost-effective. ”
*This article was published in Communication World Issue 942 on April 25, 2024 Original title: "Airi Wireless: The Surge of AI and Satellite Internet Gives New Opportunities to Small Cell Stations"
END
Author: Shu Wenqiong Editor/Layout: Gai Beibei
Reviewer: Wang Tao, Mei Yaxin
Producer: Liu Qicheng
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