MTS operator has announced the launch of a pilot project to implement centralized radio network management in Moscow. This project is being implemented on the existing commercial network and is aimed at improving the operation of base stations for future 5G and 6G networks. The innovation will reduce the amount of equipment required, reduce energy consumption and improve the appearance of antenna supports in the capital.
The centralized radio access network architecture will be used in 5G and 6G networks — with radio data processing in virtual mode on servers installed in protected and secure locations, to which a large number of radio units with antennas can be connected via high-speed optical channels. This organization speeds up the construction and modernization of the network, increases the efficiency and reliability of its operation, and allows unifying and reducing the equipment fleet.
The essence of the innovation is that the base station control units (BBU) are now located not on antenna masts, as was done previously, but centrally in a special building — a BTS hotel. This building is located on the basis of an automatic telephone exchange and connects the BBU to radio modules on ten towers via a fiber-optic communication line.
The first MTS BTS hotel was opened in the center of Moscow on Stolyarny Lane. Now three BBU blocks serve ten base stations, which reduces the need for equipment by 70%. Radio relay lines that transmit radio waves between points will not be needed — this will make the infrastructure simpler.
After 2025, MTS plans to scale this project, starting the construction of a centralized radio access network within the Garden Ring. Depending on the test results, the network of BTS hotels can be expanded, and there will be a transition to a new architecture inside the Third Transport Ring. The project also involves renting equipment in BTS hotels to other telecom operators, which will help develop the telecommunications infrastructure in Moscow.
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