India’s leading telecom operator Reliance Jio has installed massive 4G-advanced MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) units at cricket stadiums in Mumbai and Delhi to provide users with high-speed data during the IPL matches. The deployment of such a technology means users will be able to attain superfast 4G speeds or as some say pre-5G speeds that help access seamless data connectivity at high speed inside a region of the high-density userbase.
For those who don’t know, Massive MIMO helps a network improve its coverage by creating 3D beams on vertical and horizontal planes in a specific region. These beams would lead to reduced interference, thus improving the single quality of a network by 2-3 decibels. The reuse of the same bunch of resource blocks allows multiple users to use the improved signal quality, thus increasing the spectral efficiency of the network.
The pre-5G MIMO units that Jio will install across the two stadiums will make room for an extended network which will be five times the capacity in a 30Hz wideband spectrum, thus allowing seamless connectivity in areas where user density is high. Jio has already deployed the Massive MIMO technology at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where the first IPL 2018 match was played and also at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi where Delhi Daredevils played Kings XI Punjab. In addition to this, Jio will also be providing high-speed 4G and wireless Broadband solution across these two stadiums with WiFi and small cells.
The move comes after Jio’s market rival Airtel announced that they’ll be establishing their own Massive MIMO technology across several venues including Chennai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mohali, Delhi, and Mumbai. Airtel’s first take on the technology also came during the first IPL match at Wankhede Stadium on April 7 and the Indian service provider was the first to commercially install Massive MIMO.