Team Roar
With the increase in smart device usage globally, connectivity is important, and to sufficiently grow as a digital community, fast download and upload speeds are mandatory. We Sri Lankans have access to 4G technology, but the speeds 4G offer and the technology behind it is falling behind the demands of an increasingly connected population.
Tech giants like Apple are pushing to adopt 5G, as a means of providing consumers with unprecedented bandwidth and speed. The benefits 5G offers include the potential to lower latency, and lower battery consumption that’s fast becoming a problem as we constantly consume data on our smart devices.
Fortunately for Sri Lanka, it doesn’t look like we’ll fall behind the times, as local connectivity provider Dialog has launched South Asia’s first successful trial of next-generation, Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) Technology.
Massive MIMO Technology offers greater spectrum efficiency with up to six times more capacity from the same spectrum resource. In the race to 5G with unprecedented improvements in network throughput and capacity, MIMO is considered the most compelling technology with superior energy and spectral efficiency. Dialog recently concluded a trial MIMO deployment that delivered speeds up to 716 Mbps over a single 20 MHz LTE TDD carrier.
Massive MIMO uses a higher number of antennae to enhance capacity and transmit parallel data streams to users on the same frequency. By employing multiple antenna elements per user, Massive MIMO base stations could also carry out ‘beam-forming’, whereby the antenna beam could be focused towards individual users to enhance connectivity and reduce interference.
Dialog Axiata’s Group Chief Executive, Supun Weerasinghe, says: “The successful pilot of MIMO underscores Dialog’s unremitting commitment to stay abreast of nascent technologies to offer the very best in connectivity to all Sri Lankans. Dialog’s ability to deliver inventive and life-changing technology solutions has been empowered by a progressive regulatory environment and the support of our valued business partners, who have worked hand-in-hand to make Sri Lanka’s rapid ascent towards 5G an enriching experience to both enterprises and consumers alike.”
