ZTE Intrinsic Intelligent Solution forBase Station Facilitates

5G Smooth Evolution and Efficient Deployment

Africa Current Telecommunication Network Situation and Evolution Requirements01

At present, Africa is in the window period of digital transformation, and people's demands for networks are higher than ever before.

Basic connection requirements between persons

According to the GSMA report, by 2020, 25% users in sub-Saharan Africa have not been covered by the network, and the proportion of users who are not covered by the mobile network in the Middle East and North Africa is also up to 9%. We are committed in building an AMEA that is fully connected, continuously reducing the network construction and O&M costs, and reducing the user expenses per bit. Improve the network quality and meet the basic mobile communication requirements. To enable the general public in the AMEA region to connect with each other in terms of stably, economically and with high quality. Especially in this era of epidemics, this kind of connection is particularly urgent, and one call may save one life.

Africa Current Telecommunication Network Situation and Evolution Requirements

Data connection requirements for lifestyle changes

The digital transformation of thousands of industries has increased the demand for mobile broadband

According to the Omdia report, in 2019, 4G replaced 2G as the mainstream in the AMEA region, and 3G coverage surpassed 2G for the �rst time. This indicates that people's business needs are gradually shifting from voice and short messages to Internet data and video services. In addition, the epidemic has promoted the growth and popularity of teleconference, telecommuting, online education, mobile payment, video, social and e-commerce applications. These applications not only bring convenience to people's life but also demand larger and enhanced network capacity. By speeding up the communications networks in MEA to 4G and 5G, ZTE is committed to improving network coverage, network connection quality, and people's living standards by using digital technologies.

At present, digital technologies are accelerating the integration into various industries in Africa, and the digital transformation process in regions is accelerating. The pandemic has accelerated the demand for ICT, such as smart education, health care, finance, and digitalization of production industries based on broadband Internet technologies, such as agriculture and industry. According to the data released by many international organizations, the digital economy will contribute nearly US $180 billion of GDP to the African continent by 2025, and will contribute US $712 billion by 2050. African countries are increasingly expected to promote digital transformation and release the digital potential of thousands of industries. The di�erences between di�erent industries determine that their network requirements are greatly different, for example, factories, ports, hospitals, power grids, Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and cloud games. They have different requirements in network coverage, mobility, latency, bandwidth, security and reliability, isolation, and deployment environments. The uni�ed network architecture, performance requirements, and physical form make it di�cult for traditional 4G technologies to meet the highly customized network requirements of industry applications.

In summary, we believe that operators need to focus on developing mobile broadband infrastructure, including connecting

unconnected and improving 4G coverage. At the same time, operators must accelerate the development and investment of 5G to help

AMEA regional industrial integration and economic recovery and growth.

Africa Current Telecommunication Network Situation and Evolution Requirements02

ZTE Intrinsic Intelligent Solution for Base Stations

ZTE Intrinsic Intelligent Solution for Base Stations

Solution Overview To realize 5G value, the following challenges need to be addressed:

At the early stage of 5G network construction, how to smoothly evolve existing network and implement 5G with high cost efficiency? While with the scaled deployment of commercial 5G networks, high-quality 5G experience becomes essential to the continuous development of 5G users, the release of 5G potential and improvement of 5G network value and economic benefi ts. In the near future, how to effectively support digital transformation of the industry in the face of increasingly diversified ToB+ToC services? Operators urgently need solutions that maximize network e�ciency and optimize user experience in complex 5G application scenarios.

ZTE intrinsic intelligent solution for base stations, based on ZTE latest AI BBU intrinsic engine incorporates multiple telecommunication variables to build multi-dimensional perception and learning capability, implement �exible network service capabilities in multi-layer network, and empowers the network with optimized user experience.

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Key Products and Technologies

ZTE AI BBU-based Hardware Platform

The dynamic and precise empowerment between network resources and service requirements depends on powerful hardware computing capability and flexible architecture. As an important component of 5G infrastructure, BBU is the heart of base station, how to integrate and utilize the most advanced software and hardware technologies is critical. ZTE has the industry-leading 5G BBU hardware, which adopts the industry-leading chip, the most advanced backplane and switching design. With the industry's largest baseband capability – 36 NR cells supported by a single frame, the industry's only 2G/3G/4G/5G full-system baseband board, and one-step hardware deployment, ZTE helps operators achieve the simplest network evolution.

Meanwhile, BBU adopts a micro-kernel micro-service architecture to realize fast development, iteration, and deployment of functions. It supports base station built-in intelligence, provides AI capability through the main control board, and predicts user experience and tra�c. BBU also supports intelligent user guidance and energy-saving oriented service navigation, maximizing user experience and network efficiency in complicated 5G application scenarios. To Empower the digital transformation of industries, the deployment of ZTE computing power engine - Node Engine can be completed by just adding a computing power boards in BBU, realizing the super computing power on the edge of 5G network, one board provides processing capability of up to 10Gbps. It can also open wireless capabilities for third-party applications, such as high-precision 5G positioning capability, to meet diversified and differentiated requirements of industrial partners. It can also provide a platform for the deployment of third-party services, support the simpli�ed deployment of industrial virtual private networks, and provide operators with zero-distance, least-cost, and most convenient network deployment capabilities to develop new industrial cooperation.

ZTE Intrinsic Intelligent Solution for Base Stations04

Intrinsic Intelligent Software Solutions

During the evolution from 4G to 5G, operators face multiple challenges, such as how to

deal with the increasing network complexity, how to improve the utilization of spectrum

resources and user experience, and how to achieve low-carbon operation of networks.

Operators are in urgent need of corresponding solutions in which they can smoothly

evolve from 4G to 5G.

ZTE intrinsic intelligent software solution, implements spectrum-based flexible

orchestration of network service capabilities based on a given traffic distribution, and

implements self-adaptive network service capability based on tra�c trend prediction. In

this way, the solution provides the optimal network service capability and e�ciency, thus

improving user experience and achieving the optimal uni�cation of service quality and

network e�ciency.

For operators, the solution can reduce the complexity of network planning, network can

adjust adaptively after the �rst planning. The network service capability and e�ciency, as

well as user experience can all be improved.

Industry’s First Intelligent Orchestration Radio Network Solution

With intelligent orchestration engine as the technical base, intelligent orchestration

network accurately perceives service trend changes in di�erentiated 5G service scenarios

and variable wireless environments. It provides "user-centered" flexible orchestration

services, achieves self-adaptive con�guration of network resources, dynamic adjustment

of network service capabilities, and the best uni�cation of user experience and network

e�ciency. Facing future evolution, only one network planning is needed, which greatly reduces

the complexity of network operation and maintenance, and releases network potential.

In the evolution of African 3G/4G network to 5G network, three network systems are

facing the status of long-term coexistence. Traditionally, static allocation is adopted, that is,

each system is con�gured with �xed spectrum resources, but dynamic changes of tra�c

cause partially utilized. SuperDSS, industry’s �rst tri-mode dynamic sharing solution in

industry, makes it possible to dynamically share spectrum within three modes according

to dynamic traffic changes. However, due to the internal interference of DSS, the DSS

NR performance is seriously interfered by LTE CRS, affecting 5G user experience. How

to improve 5G user experience, maximize network traffic, and help operators improve

operation revenue is a new challenge in the 5G era. On top of SuperDSS, the intelligent

orchestration network realizes traffic forecast based on the traffic trend learning. With

intelligent user experience forecast and intelligent traffic forecast, the solution realizes

intelligent service guidance without a�ecting LTE user experience. LTE services on DSS

frequency band are guided to other LTE frequency bands, thus intelligently shutting

down LTE in DSS frequency band, solving DSS intrinsic interference problem. This greatly

improves DSS NR performance and 5G user experience, protects existing network investment,

which brings signi�cant value for developing 5G networks in Africa.

ZTE Intrinsic Intelligent Solution for Base Stations05

Industry’s Only Innovative AI-based Multi-mode Service Navigation Power Saving

Solution -PowerPilot

Multi-granularity power-off function (symbol-level, channel-level, cell-level and

equipment-level 4-level shutdown) enables re�ned energy saving on site, saves energy

significantly when current 5G load is light. ZTE AI power-saving solution, based on

base station intrinsic intelligence (serves 4G/5G simultaneously), can further enlarge

the energy saving e�ect through intelligent load prediction to realize whole network

cell-level power-saving strategy. In addition, the solution deployment efficiency is

greatly improved and the labor cost is saved by more than 90%. Industry’s only AI-

based multi-mode service navigation, with deep multi-mode and multi-frequency

collaboration, automatically navigates services to the best network layer under the

premise of user experience guarantee, so that the energy e�ciency ratio of the entire

network can be optimized and the power saving e�ect can be doubled.

Application of Intrinsic Intelligent Solution for Base Stations in Africa

MTN South Africa is the second largest telecom operator in South Africa, has completed whole network LTE coverage, and started in-depth LTE coverage deployment and 5G-oriented upgrade and transformation. However, in this process, MTN South Africa is facing many challenges, including shortage of spectrum resources which urgently needs e�ciency improvement, and increasing network complexity that requires O&M costs reduction.

ZTE intrinsic intelligence solution for base station, focuses on improvement of network deployment time, deployment cost, smooth evolution, and energy saving, solves related problems through innovative solutions such as better coverage performance, better spectrum e�ciency, cost reduction, and AI energy saving, helping MTN South Africa build its ultimate 5G network.

The multi-mode AI-based IT BBU provided by ZTE, as well as the multi-mode and multi-frequency highly integrated, portable radio frequency module and the whole site UniSite products, help MTN South Africa to enhance 4G network quality and user experience, achieve smooth evolution from 4G to 5G, and achieve the goal of rapid network construction and investment protection.

ZTE also completed Africa's first 5G SuperDSS laboratory and field tests in South Africa, quickly introducing 5G on 15MHz 2.1GHz spectrum. Results show that single 4G subscriber throughput rate was increased by 39.85%, and the 3G/4G KPI remains stable, attracting widespread attention in the industry.

ZTE Intrinsic Intelligent Solution for Base Stations06

ZTE Future-Oriented Network Evolution Path

ZTE Future-Oriented Network Evolution Path

Facing the future, 5G evolution will further present the trend of service-based network, scenario-based service, scenario-based intelligence, and BS-based intelligence.

Service-based network

Based on the atomized and modular network capabilities, resources are �exibly combined to adapt to various service requirements to achieve active self-service.

Scenario-based service

Flexibly adapts to the value targets and requirement structures of different scenarios, and provides customized network resources to achieve exquisite services with best resource e�ciency in a variety of scenarios.

Scenario-based intelligence

E�cient and accurate scenario-based services can be achieved and continuous evolution can be achieved through e�ective, scenario-based, �exible strategies and controllable closed-loop intelligence.

BS-based intelligence

The architecture deeply integrating AI computing and communication process fully improves the intelligent learning and scenario adaptation capabilities of different levels (physical layer, MAC layer, network layer, etc.) to support the continuous evolution of personalized intelligent service capabilities.

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