In the era of rapid change of information and communication technology, the demand of the whole society for network transmission rate and capacity has surpassed ever before. The emergence of 5G technology is the latest weapon to meet this demand. As the infrastructure of the 5G network, the importance of 5G small base stations has become increasingly prominent. They can not only provide faster network speed and wider coverage, but also support more device access, bringing people a more convenient and enjoyable network experience. In this new era full of vitality and opportunities, 5G small base stations will play an increasingly important role.

The growth point of the scale explosion of 5G small base stations still needs to wait

2022 is an important year for the commercial use of 5G small base stations. The three major operators have started the centralized procurement of 5G small base stations. Wang Lingfeng, Marketing Director of Hengxin Technology's Wireless Network Division, said that with the gradual completion of the 5G network coverage of major operators, the position of 5G small base stations in the future market will become more and more important. It is expected that in the next few years, the 5G small base station market will continue to maintain a high growth trend. The market growth of 5G small base stations is mainly affected by three aspects:

First, with the gradual popularization of 5G commercial use, the demand for 5G infrastructure will increase. 5G small base stations are one of the key components supporting 5G networks, and will receive more and more attention and attention in high-value scenarios for blind and heat-supplementing applications. The rise of emerging applications such as cloud gaming, VR/AR, and smart home will also stimulate the growth of the 5G small base station market. In addition, 5G commercial networks are expanding worldwide, and market demand is increasing.

Second, the continuous improvement of technology will also have a positive impact on the growth of the 5G small base station market. With the continuous development of technology, the performance of 5G small base stations will be continuously improved. At the same time, the continuous advancement of the localization process is also simultaneously affecting the improvement and maturity of the upstream and downstream supply chains of my country's 5G small base station products, and the cost will be further reduced, which will help promote the wide application and popularization of 5G small base stations.

Third, policy support will also positively affect the 5G small base station market. The government will give sufficient support and attention to 5G small base stations in terms of technology research and development and industrial support, which will further promote the development and growth of the market.

Although the growth of the 5G small base station market has begun to emerge, the growth point of the scale explosion still needs to wait. In Wang Lingfeng's view, the main reason is that the deployment of 5G networks is still in the early stages, and it takes time to accumulate and mature. "It is expected that in the next 3-5 years, the 5G small base station market will show relatively rapid growth. In the future, with the in-depth promotion of 5G networks, the 5G small base station market will usher in a growth point of scale explosion."

Obvious advantages, 5G small base stations are remarkable

At present, 5G has been widely used in thousands of industries. The "5G+Industrial Internet" project has covered many industries such as aviation, mining, steel, ports, and electric power. The vertical application market has put forward some special requirements for 5G network deployment. For example, the application field that requires real-time interaction requires low latency (such as autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, telemedicine, etc.), and in other key application scenarios (industrial automation , smart cities, etc.), it is necessary to provide high-reliability network guarantees to ensure the stability and sustainability of production and social operations; in addition, some areas containing sensitive information flows (medical, financial, security, etc.) need For network security, the basic network must provide strong security guarantees to ensure data privacy and security. Wang Lingfeng pointed out that 5G small base stations have five advantages in meeting industry market demands:

One is flexibility. Small base stations are usually installed on street corners, on building roofs, etc., and can provide more flexible network coverage in a limited space to meet the special needs of vertical industry markets.

The second is high bandwidth. Small cells can provide higher bandwidth to support high-quality video and audio transmission.

The third is low latency. Small base stations can provide lower latency to ensure the effectiveness of real-time and high-reliability applications.

The fourth is to save costs. Compared with traditional large base stations, small base stations have lower infrastructure costs, which can save operators' costs and improve network cost performance.

The fifth is active management. Small base stations can quickly diagnose and repair faults through automated technologies, improving network stability and reliability.

The more domestic chips are used, the more mature the entire industry chain will be

The commercialization of 5G has promoted the rapid implementation of edge computing technology, and the application of edge computing technology has greatly promoted the faster and better development of 5G networks. According to Cai Zhaobo, R&D Director of the Wireless Network Division of Hengxin Technology, the typical business requirements for to B businesses, such as precision manufacturing, industrial control, and video surveillance and management in the park, are high-reliability industrial groups where data cannot be released. network, ultra-high uplink bandwidth, ultra-low latency, super computing power and private network management, etc.; for to B/C business, mainly OTT application service provider business, such as Internet of Vehicles, AR/VR/cloud games The requirements of this type of business are wide coverage, connection with QoS guarantee, close collaboration between edge and cloud, and ultra-high mobility. 5G small base stations can well meet the requirements of the above scenarios.

When it comes to chips, the core component of small base station products, Cai Zhaobo said that there are very few options in the early stage, and the price is high, and the acquisition cycle is very long, which seriously restricts the development of small base stations. At present, domestically produced chips have begun to emerge, breaking the passive situation of being restricted by foreign manufacturers in the past. Chip localization has increased the availability of core chips for small base stations, with low cost and higher availability. Of course, localized chips started late. Compared with foreign countries, the production technology is relatively backward, and performance and stability still need to be optimized. Only when more and more small base station manufacturers use localized chips can the entire industrial chain mature.

As a world-renowned provider of wireless access system solutions, Hengxin Technology has established a complete R&D system since the establishment of the small base station R&D center in September 2020. After nearly three years of technology accumulation, it has developed from X86 + FPGA The solution, from ARM+FPGA to localized SOC, has the technical strength for the iterative and sustainable development of small base station technology, and will work hand in hand with industry partners to promote the 5G small base station industry in the country and even the world.