Top 5G Base Station gNodeB Manufacturers & Vendors

Telecom operators deploy cellular towers to provide mobile and internet services to subscribers worldwide. In 5G NR (New Radio) technology, the base station is referred to as gNodeB or gNb.

5G gNodeB base stations are critical for ensuring seamless network coverage and high-speed data transmission. Leading manufacturers provide advanced solutions for telecom operators and enterprises. This guide highlights the top companies developing 5G base station technology, including Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, Samsung, ZTE, etc.

What is a 5G Base Station?

5G NR (New Radio) uses different frequency bands across the world. As per 3GPP release 15, the frequency bands are grouped into FR1 and FR2. FR1 supports 450 to 6000 MHz, whereas FR2 supports 24250 MHz to 52600 MHz frequency ranges.

FR1 supports a maximum channel bandwidth of 100 MHz per CC, whereas FR2 supports 400 MHz maximum. 5G NR uses OFDM in which subcarrier spacing is variable. FR1 supports 15 KHz, 30 KHz, and 60 KHz. FR2 supports 60 KHz and 120 KHz.

The following are the different categories of 5G Base Stations specified in 3GPP NR specifications:

• BS Type 1-C (equivalent to earlier Base Stations, supports FR1)
• BS Type 1-H (equivalent to AAS in LTE-advanced release 13, supports FR1)
• BS Type 1-O/2-O (newly introduced AAS from NR, supports FR1 and FR2)

Top 5G Base Station Manufacturers

Nokia

• Model: Airscale Base Station
• This Base Station is very compact and supports all radio technologies (2G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G, 4.9G) in addition to 5G. It also supports all network topologies such as distributed RAN, Centralized RAN, and cloud RAN. It is flexible to support future traffic growth of 5G and IoT networks. The 5G base station supports massive MIMO, CA (Carrier Aggregation), and Beamforming to maximize throughput and capacity for enhanced user experiences.

Ericsson

• Model: 5G radios such as AIR 6488 and AIR 5121 along with AIR 6468
• Ericsson offers a complete 5G radio system for massive MIMO. Ericsson Radio Access Network (RAN) supports GSM, WCDMA, LTE, and 5G in TDD/FDD modes. It can be installed in various geographies such as macro, street macro, micro, indoor, and so on.

Huawei

• Model: 5G Base Station
• The company has recently developed 200K base stations and expects to manufacture 800K units by the end of 2020. The BS supports massive MIMO using TDD for 5G networks. It also supports 4G legacy networks as well. It houses a 5G core chip consisting of active PAs, passive antenna arrays, etc. The chip can control 64 channels with the help of beamforming and latest algorithms. It supports 200 MHz spectral bandwidth. The chip can be used for the development of active antenna units.

Samsung

• Model: RF Chipsets for 5G Base Station
• Samsung has developed mmWave RFICs, Digital/analog front-end ASICs which support 28 GHz / 39 GHz bands. To achieve higher speeds, 5G BS uses thousands of antenna elements and several RFICs. RFICs support bandwidths of about 1.4 GHz and 800 MHz.

ZTE

• Models: 5G high/low frequency AAU (Active Array Unit), NG BBU (Baseband Unit), 4G/5G dual-mode RRU
• Based on SDN/NFV architecture, NG BBU supports 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. It supports C-RANs, D-RANs, and 5G CUs/DUs.
• RRU supports 4G single mode, 5G single mode, and 4G/5G convergence mode.

Conclusion

As 5G networks expand, reliable gNodeB manufacturers play a vital role in enabling faster, more efficient communication. Choosing the right supplier ensures robust network performance and future scalability.