NEC Corporation announced the development of a new 5G Sub-6GHz base station radio unit (RU) using Massive MIMO technology, with a commercial launch planned for the first half of fiscal year 2026. The new RU succeeds NEC’s current integrated antenna model and targets higher throughput, improved energy efficiency, and easier installation as mobile operators respond to rising traffic and tighter cost constraints.
The new RU improves both uplink and downlink performance using MU-MIMO and real-time beamforming technologies. NEC reports simulation results showing average user throughput gains of about 48% on the uplink and 54% on the downlink versus its current model, with uplink performance expected to reach roughly 55% improvement following a future software upgrade. Since 2020, NEC has shipped more than 50,000 Massive MIMO units globally, providing the deployment base for the new platform.
NEC also focused on operational efficiency. The RU reduces power consumption by about 42% to 315 W during normal operation and by 30% to 630 W or less at peak load. Volume drops by roughly 23% to 23.6 liters (0.83 cubic feet), while weight falls by about 33% to 16 kg (35.3 lb), enabling single-person installation. When combined with NEC’s virtualized RAN, software-based delay control extends fronthaul distance between the RU and distributed unit from 30 km (18.6 miles) to up to 40 km (24.9 miles), improving flexibility in base station placement and supporting more efficient CAPEX and OPEX planning.
- 5G Sub-6GHz Massive MIMO radio unit, launch planned for H1 FY2026
- ~48% uplink and ~54% downlink average user throughput improvement versus current model
- Normal power consumption reduced to ~315 W; peak operation ≤630 W
- Compact, fanless design: ≤23.6 L volume, ≤16 kg weight
- vRAN integration extends fronthaul distance to 40 km (24.9 miles) via software control
- Japan launch targeted for H1 FY2026, with international versions planned for H2 FY2026
- Product to be shown at MWC Barcelona 2026 (March 2–5, 2026)
“This new radio unit reflects our commitment to delivering higher performance and energy efficiency while giving operators greater flexibility in how and where they deploy 5G infrastructure,” said an NEC spokesperson.
🌐 Analysis
The announcement aligns with broader operator efforts to densify Sub-6GHz 5G while managing energy costs and deployment complexity through Massive MIMO and vRAN architectures. NEC’s emphasis on power reduction and extended fronthaul distances mirrors similar moves by global RAN vendors as networks evolve toward more centralized and software-defined topologies.
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