O2 and Nokia trialling massive MIMO at Kings Cross and Marble Arch

O2 is working with Nokia on two massive MIMO trials in Kings Cross and Marble Arch, which are aimed at enhancing connectivity for O2 customers and paving the way for the future deployment of 5G across the capital.

The trials will use the additional 2.3GHz spectrum that O2 secured earlier this year in the spectrum auction. Massive MIMO technology employs far more antenna elements on a transceiver than the terminals/mobile devices it is serving. This increases the number of signal paths between the antenna array and each terminal, thereby improving the noise to signal ratio and consequently performance and the amount of data that can be transmitted over each active connection, while also allowing more users to be served simultaneously.

O2 claims that by trialling the technology in locations with high levels of data traffic, it will be able to boost coverage in these areas while also evaluating the technology for future deployment in urban areas, while also laying the foundation for the operator’s rollout of 5G. The operator will evaluate the trials with a view to potentially deploying the technology elsewhere in London and beyond to enhance connectivity as it continues to modernise its network in cities across the UK.